Cullinan diamond 

 

In 1905, the Premier Mine near Pretoria, South Africa, was only 2 years old, but it was already one of the most productive diamond mines in the world. One morning the mine's superintendent, Frederick Wells, was conducting a routine inspection 18 feet (5.5 meters) below the surface when a glint of sparkling rock caught his attention on the wall above. Using a penknife, he pried out a large, misshapen hunk of what he assumed to be worthless rock crystal.

Sir Thomas Cullinan (12 February 1862 – 23 August 1936) was a South African diamond magnate. He is renowned for giving his name to the Cullinan Diamond, the largest diamond ever discovered, and as owner of the Premier Mine, now renamed the Cullinan Mine, from which the famous gem was extracted on 26 January 1905. He also gave his name to the nearby South African town of Cullinan. He was honoured by the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tembisa which named their church after him (Sir Thomas Cullinan AME Church).

Sir Thomas Cullinan

The Imperial State Crown and Sovereign's Scepter rest atop the coffin of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. The Scepter includes Cullinan I, also known as the "Great Star of Africa," the largest colorless cut diamond in the world. It weighs more than 530 carats. The Cullinan II, weighing 105.6 carats, is the second-largest cut diamond in the world and is the centerpiece of the Imperial State Crown. 

Cullinan diamonds

The original 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond was cut and polished into nine major diamonds by Joseph Asscher. 

Named the Cullinan diamond after Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the Premier Mine, it was — and still remains — the largest gem diamond ever found. In its uncut state, it weighed 3,106 carats and measured roughly 4 inches by 2.5 inches by 2.3 inches (10.1 by 6.35 by 5.9 centimeters). For comparison, the blue-hued Hope Diamond weighs a little over 45 carats.

The rough stone was gifted to King Edward VII in 1907 (more on that transaction in a minute) and cut into nine major diamonds named Cullinan I through IX, ranked from largest to smallest.The Cullinan I, also known as the "Great Star of Africa," is the largest colorless cut diamond in the world. It weighs more than 530 carats and is mounted on the Sovereign's Scepter, part of the British royal family's priceless crown jewels. The Cullinan II, no slouch at 105.6 carats, is the second-largest cut diamond in the world and is the sparkling centerpiece of the family's Imperial State Crown.

The Cullinan diamonds are not only some of the world's largest cut diamonds, but they're also some of the most beautiful, possessing all of the most-prized characteristics of gem diamonds, says Evan Smith, a senior research scientist at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the organization that grades diamonds according to the "four Cs": cut, clarity, color and carat weight.

"The Cullinan diamonds are the ultimate color, they're very large and their clarity is very good," Smith says. "They're the quintessential top tier in terms of what makes an attractive diamond — something that's completely colorless and nearly transparent inside."

When Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest in 2022, Cullinans I and II were on prominent display. Both the scepter and the crown (and a third bejeweled object called the Sovereign's Orb) were placed on the Queen's casket during the funeral procession, which was broadcast live around the world.

While heads of state paid their respects to Elizabeth for her dignity, strength and poise during her historic, nearly 71-year reign, others criticized the Queen for never formally apologizing for atrocities committed during Britain's colonial era, which included colonial rule over part or all of South Africa from 1795 to 1961. The discovery and sale of the record-setting Cullinan diamond is wrapped up in that messy colonial history.

The Premier Mine, where the Cullinan was discovered, was located in an area formerly known as the Transvaal. In the early 19th century, Dutch settlers called Boers fled the British-controlled Cape Colony and trekked to the hot, dry interior of South Africa near modern-day Pretoria. There, the Boers defeated local tribes and founded the Transvaal Republic.