The DeBeers Millennium Star Diamond

Discovered in the Republic of the Congo, De Beers mined the Star in the early nineties. It took over three years for their diamond cutters to shape the stone with lasers. What emerged was the world’s only internally and externally flawless, 203-carat, pear-shaped diamond.

Star of South Africa

It was the mid-1800s, and England believed there was little potential in the mining possibilities of South Africa. However, by the late 1860s there were enough reports of discoveries of significant diamonds to warrant further investigation by Parliament.

A diamond of eighty-three and one half carats was found in the very region Gregory had purportedly investigated. It was called “The Star of Africa.”

In a meeting of South Africa’s Parliament, a statement referred to the Star of South Africa as, “[this] diamond, gentlemen, is the rock upon which the future prosperity of South Africa will be built.”

The Taylor-Burton Diamond

Perhaps the most sensational story told about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton is one that happens to be true. Yes, he did give her one of the World’s largest and most beautiful diamonds, appropriately named the Taylor-Burton.

The stone was unearthed at the Premier mine of South Africa in 1966. And it was Harry Winston who cut and polished the rough stone from its original size of 244-carats.

When the gem went up for auction in 1969 it was Cartier who first obtained it. The very next day Richard Burton purchased the diamond, for an undisclosed sum of money, to give to his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. Although Ms. Taylor is known for her love for diamonds, she put the Taylor-Burton up for auction 10 years later. The proceeds from the sale went to fund a hospital in Botswana.

The last recorded sale of the Taylor-Burton was in 1979 for nearly $3,000,000 to an anonymous buyer in Saudi Arabia.

The Centenary

It was during the banquet celebrating De Beers’ centennial mark that the discovery of the perfectly colored, 599-carat diamond was first announced to the public.

Of course, when it was found, it hardly resembled the perfect stone it is now known as. The diamond was discovered when De Beers’ laser equipment detected a large mass in one of the walls of its mines. The mass resembled an irregular matchbox whose largest flat surface was concave. To complicate matters, the planes of this stone were angular and there was a horn protruding from the top. In order to bring this mass to life as a polished diamond, a master cutter had to be found. The irregular shape of the rough stone meant that only the most skilled craftsman would be able to reveal the diamond’s inner beauty without ruining the stone completely.

De Beers commissioned Gabi Tolkowsky, one of the world’s most renowned stone cutters. His first decision had to be where and how to cut. He finally decided that, in spite of its unusual proportions, he would cut it as one single, large diamond. This decision was not an easy one for Tolkowsky because he knew that beyond the aesthetic choice came the daunting challenge of actually cutting the stone.

When later asked about his work on the Centenary, Tolkowsky described himself as being taken over by the diamond. There was not a crevice of the stone that he did not know intimately. Tolkowsky did not want to use saws or lasers to cut the Centenary because he was afraid the heat and vibrations would disrupt the stone’s clarity. So instead, he opted for the time-honored method of kerfing (cutting) by hand.

One hundred and fifty-four days later, Tolkowsy had removed fifty carats of the magnificent stone. What remained of the original “matchbox” stone was a 520-carat diamond. Once the polishing was complete, this amazing gem weighed 273 carats. While “The Great Star of Africa” and “The Lesser Star of Africa” diamonds actually surpass it in size, the Centenary holds the distinction as the largest modern-cut diamond in the world.

Kohinor

The lineage of this great diamond began in 1304 when it was held by the Rajah of Malwa. This was a time when possession of such a gem symbolized the power of an empire. In fact, it has been said that he who owns the Koh-i-noor rules the world.

In 1738, after successfully invading Delhi, the next conquest of Nadir Shah of Persia was to acquire the great stone. Legend has it that a member of Emperor Mohammed Shah’s harem informed Nadir Shah that the jewel was kept hidden in the emperor’s turban.

So, at a victory celebration, Nadir was clever enough to suggest that he and the emperor partake in a well-known oriental custom whereby the two leaders would exchange turbans. The act would signify brotherly ties, sincerity and eternal friendship. For the host to refuse would have been a great insult to the conquering hero. Later that night, when Nadir Shah unfolded the host’s turban he discovered the gem. Upon seeing it he exclaimed, “Koh-i-noor,” meaning “mountain of light.” Nadir Shah then brought the jewel back to Persia. There it remained until 1849 when the British annexed the Punjab and took possession of it.

Three years later, after a public viewing in London, crowds expressed disappointment in the lack of brilliance in the stone. So it was decided that the gem be re-cut to accentuate its brilliance, thereby reducing its size from the 186-carat diamond to its present size of 108.93-carats.

In 1853, there was some question as to whether Queen Victoria would return the grand stone for fear of the misfortune it was rumored to bring. She answered the query by having it mounted in a tiara, joining more than two thousand other royal diamonds.

Recently, the actual legal ownership of the Koh-i-noor has once again been brought into question as world leaders vie for its ownership.

Cullinan

Once this great stone had been found, the question then was what to do with a diamond the size of a very large grapefruit.When no buyers were found for the great stone, it was decided that the diamond would be made into a gift for King Edward VII of England. Interestingly enough, even the king was at a loss for what to do with a stone so large. Logic soon prevailed and it was decided that the great stone would be cut into two smaller stones: Cullinan I and Cullinan II. The larger of the two (Cullinan I) was renamed the “Great Star of Africa.”

It’s worth noting that while the newly divided stone was nowhere near its original size, it was still massive by comparison measuring (2.3 x 1.7 inches at its broadest points). The cutting of the Cullinian was so successful that the two new gems became part of the Crown Jewels of England. King Edward’s royal jewelers even went so far as to redesign the setting of the scepter in order to accommodate the Great Star of Africa. The Cullinan II, humbly measuring 1.7 x 1.5 inches, was handsomely set in the brow of the British Imperial State Crown.

DeBeers Diamond

It was not long after De Beers Corporation set about the business of mining diamonds that their first major discovery surfaced. A stone weighing 428.5-carats was unearthed from the Kimberly mines of South Africa.

After its cutting, the De Beers diamond was unveiled at the Paris Exhibition of 1889. Enthralled crowds lined up to see what, at 228.5 polished carats, was believed to be the largest cut diamond in the world.

And while many great stones have been discovered over the past century, the De Beers diamond holds the title of being the fourth largest cut diamond in the world.

Hope Diamond

Mystery surrounds this diamond dispute the fancy choice for the name, does it bring bad luck to anyone who owns it? Or are the occurrences of misfortune merely coincidence?

Believers in the ominous lore of the Hope diamond generally point to the fate of the Hope’s earliest owner, Marie Antoinette – she was beheaded – after that its no wonder the diamond is cursed.

For further evidence of the Hope’s dubious powers, there is the story of the Follies Bergere star who was shot on stage the very first time she was said to have worn the Hope. Fact or fiction? It’s hard to say. But one very ingenious jeweler, by the name of Cartier, found a way to turn the Hope’s infamous past to his advantage.

Cartier had a potential buyer, Mrs. Evelyn Walsh, who believed that anything that was purported to bring bad luck had the opposite affect on her. Thanks to the embellishments of the infamous jeweler, she bought the diamond and the legend continued to grow. While the diamond had no ill affects on Mrs. Walsh in particular, her family did, however, suffer a series of personal tragedies, including the death of Mrs. Walsh’s brother, son and daughter.

Taking all this into consideration, why then would anyone want to own the Hope? For that answer one need only see the gem. Its sapphire-like dark blue color gives it an uncommon beauty which has proved to be more irresistible than the threat of its reputation. So unique is the stone that it is impossible to establish a true value for it. The actual name Hope was not given to the stone until 1762 when it was acquired by a member of the banking family, Hope and Co.

In 1958, Harry Winston presented the 44.5-carat Hope diamond to the Smithsonian in Washington DC where its natural beauty may be enjoyed without running the risks associated with owning it.