The Most Famous Diamonds
Large diamonds are exceptionally rare and only about 80% of all harvested diamonds are gemstone quality. Most of the famous diamonds that have been created throughout the history of diamonds are not always known for just their high quality or sparkle. The diamonds that are the most famous are usually famous due to the interesting stories behind the diamond itself.
The Great Star of Africa is currently listed as the largest cut diamond in the world. It is shaped like a pear & weighs in at a eye-popping 530.20 carats. It’s part of the royal scepter and can be seen with the crown jewels in the Tower of London. It was cut from the Cullian, a 3,106 carat diamond crystal that was used to create 96 smaller diamonds. The legend of this diamond suggests that there may have been another half of the Cullian which would have been one impressive sized diamond crystal.
The Orloff diamond is bluish green in color and is an exceptionally pure gem that has an interesting history. The myth says that the large stone was first seen as the diamond eye of a Hindu idol. It was later stolen by a thief who only took one eye because of his fear of the repercussions. It was passed on to the Russian Count Grigori Orloff. It is now housed in the Russian Diamond Treasury located in Moscow.
The Centenary Diamond was first seen by the world in 1986 and it contains 247 facets and weighs in at 273.85 carats. It is the world’s largest, most modern cut and flawless diamond in existence today. It took three years to craft this diamond. The diamond was unveiled at the Tower of London in 1991. While never appraised it is commonly believed that the diamond is easily worth more than $100 million dollars.
The Taylor-Burton Diamond was first discovered in the Premier Mine in South Africa in 1966. It was 240.80 carats and was cut into a pear shaped 69.42 diamond. This diamond is priceless because of the celebrity who owned it. The famous actor Richard Burton purchased the gift for his wife Elizabeth Taylor. It has been stated that he paid more than one million dollars for it. After the death of Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor donated the sale of the stone to charity for $2.8 million dollars and allowed the diamond to go to a museum.
The Regent Diamond is considered one of the most beautiful diamonds ever seen. It was first found in India in 1698. It was finally sold to Philippe II, a French prince, in 1717. The diamond was used in the hat of Marie Antoinette and was also used in the the royal crown for a time. It was stolen during the revolution but recovered a short time later. Napoleon Bonaparte used the diamond on his sword until his death. Today it can be found in the French Royal Treasury at the Louvre.
Diamonds always seem to hold great mystery and mystic. Throughout time, people have desired and cherished this most-precious of all gems. Diamonds and myths about diamonds will be here as long as we have diamonds…an eternity. Post by DanforthDiamond.com, your engagement ring experts.
