Nowadays, it’s no secret that diamonds are not only “girls’s best friends”, but real works of art. Many large and exquisite diamonds are an example of not only the amazing “work” of Mother Nature, but also the incredible professionalism of jewelers.
Some of these diamonds were sold at auctions for millions of dollars; the whereabouts of others are still unknown. In addition, wealth and power are often measured by the presence of some of the most valuable and coveted diamonds or other precious items. Each of these stones is eager to acquire hundreds of very wealthy people around the world, however, most ordinary mortals can only enjoy their mysterious beauty in the picture.
List
- 10. Millennium Star (203.04 carats)
- 9. Diamond of the Red Cross (205.07 carats)
- 8. De Beers (234.65 carats)
- 7. Anniversary diamond (245.35 carats)
- 6. Century (273.85 carats)
- 5. Spirit de Grisogono (312.24 carats)
- 4. Koh-i-Nur (317.4 carats)
- 3. Incomparable diamond (407.48 carats)
- 2. Diamond Cullinan I (530.2 carats)
- 1. Golden anniversary (545.67 carats)
10. Millennium Star (203.04 carats)
In many ways, it is simply flawless. The diamond was discovered in 1989 in the Mbuji-Mayi area of Zaire. It took more than three years to bring it to its present form. “Millennium star”Was first shown to the world in October 1999, hence the name.
It is interesting that in their uniqueness, diamonds are comparable only with human fingerprints, because on the whole planet you will not find two absolutely identical stones. And diamonds are created according to certain standards, which can vary depending on the fashion trend in jewelry.
9. Diamond of the Red Cross (205.07 carats)
The ninth largest diamond in the world is called Diamond red cross. The stone is a canary yellow pillow-shaped diamond from the De Beers Kimberley mines in South Africa and weighs 205.07 carats.
The original rough stone was found in 1901 and is said to have weighed about 375 carats.
Canary yellow diamonds are extremely rare. While, in 98% of all diamonds, nitrogen is present as an impurity, and canary yellow diamonds contain these nitrogen impurities only in the form of individual atoms in the chemical structure, and not in the form of clusters of two, three or four atoms.
These single nitrogen atoms absorb visible light at the blue end of the spectrum, thus producing an intense yellow color known as canary yellow. This occurs in only 0.1% of all diamonds. Another interesting feature of these stones is that they fluoresce.
8. De Beers (234.65 carats)
Original diamond 428.5 carats Beers was the largest found in four mines in 1888, but after processing it began to weigh 234.65 carats. It was probably carved in Amsterdam, and after its first exhibition in Paris, the jewel was bought by Maharaja Patiala. The location of the stone is currently unknown.
7. Anniversary diamond (245.35 carats)
In the beginning, this one is incredibly beautiful Anniversary diamond was an octahedron of irregular shape and a magnitude of 650.8 carats. As a result, he managed to get a terrific diamond weighing 245.35 carats from it, and from the remaining part - pans made of 13.34 carats.
Over the entire history of its existence, the stone was replaced by several owners, as a result it was purchased for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and presented to the public there.
Class E stone was faceted and polished in Amsterdam. He is qualified as a colorless diamond of brand E. The exact price of it is still unknown.
6. Century (273.85 carats)
The color of the diamond has the brand D. Its dimensions are 39.90 × 50.50 × 24.55 mm and 247 facets - 164 in the stone and 83 around its axis. The stone is called Centennial diamondas it was introduced before the celebration of the centenary of the De Beers consolidated mines on May 11, 1988. It is believed that De Beers no longer owns the diamond. The current owner, location and value of this gemstone is unknown.
The cutting of such a huge and valuable diamond required special knowledge and significant investment.
Gabi Tolkowski was selected to lead the group responsible for cutting the centenary Diamond, along with Jeff Woolet, Jim Nash and davy du Plessis, who were assisted by a specially selected group of engineers, electricians and security guards to facilitate work on the centennial Diamond. At De Beers Diamond Research in Johannesburg, a special room was designed underground for the sole purpose of eliminating mechanical vibration and temperature fluctuations in order to minimize any factors that could interfere with the faceting of a centenary Diamond.
The initial processing of the stone was done by hand, and not with a laser or saw, so as not to heat or vibrate the diamond. After cutting and removing 50 carats (10 g) of cracked material for 154 days, the team was left with an egg-shaped gemstone of approximately 500 carats (100 g). Thirteen different projects have been submitted to the De Beers Board of Directors. In the end, the stone remained with a modified design in the shape of a heart.
5. Spirit de Grisogono (312.24 carats)
There are not many black known diamonds in the world besides the Black Orlov and Amsterdam diamonds (according to rumors, there is a 205-carat black diamond called “Black Star of Africa”, which was sold to a buyer in Asia in the 1980s, but it never was confirmed.) The man behind the creation of this diamond is the famous Swiss jeweler de Grisogono. He was the first major jeweler to create attractive collections of jewelry and watches with black diamonds. He is also responsible for the cutting of Gruosi's Diamond, the largest black heart-shaped diamond in the world. Diamond Spirit de Grisogono weighs 312.24 carats.
This diamond was originally 587 carats and was mined several decades ago in West Central Africa before being imported into Switzerland. It was then carved using a Mughal diamond cutting technique. This historical method of cutting was developed centuries ago in India and was used for cutting in a number of other diamonds, such as the Orlov stone in the Russian diamond treasury in Moscow, and several diamonds in the jewels of the crown of Iran - among them the Taj-i-Ma Diamond. The Great Mogul, a 279-carat diamond, is another well-known Mogul cut diamond, but unfortunately its whereabouts are unknown.
The whole process from studying the design of the slice to its implementation on the rough part of de Grisogono included more than a year of work.
4. Koh-i-Nur (317.4 carats)
This is one of the largest diamonds in the world, which differ in color. Initially, it had a barely noticeable yellow tint, but after a series of cuts, the stone turned white.
During the Mongol raids, the wife of the Indian ruler exchanged a stone for the life of her beloved husband. The delightful diamond traveled for many years in the East, until fate again threw it into India. In the mid-19th century, this state became an English colony. Then a beautiful stone Koch-i-Nur became owned by Queen Victoria. Since then, the UK has been its rightful owner, although periodically the Indian authorities request that the jewel be returned to their homeland.
Interesting fact: Throughout its existence, this gemstone has been attributed with negative magical properties. According to legend, he brings misfortune to his masters if they seize it in an illegal way.
3. Incomparable diamond (407.48 carats)
This beautiful 407.48ct brown yellow Incomparable Diamond has an interesting story. A gemstone was found in 1984 in the city of Mbuji Mayi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by a young girl who played in a pile of rubble near her uncle's house. The stone was found in a pile of debris collected from old deposits in the neighboring MIBA diamond mine.
Interesting fact: In the late 2000s, a group of researchers from Mexico City found a method for making artificial diamonds ... from tequila! Such stones may well be used in industry. The only drawback of such diamonds: this technology still cannot allow the creation of large stones for jewelry.
2. Diamond Cullinan I (530.2 carats)
AlMaz Cullinan I represents the most massive piece of nine that were separated from the original 3,106.75 carats. Seven other large diamonds weighing 208.29 carats (41.66 g) are privately owned by Elizabeth II, who inherited them from her grandmother, Queen Mary in 1953. The Queen also owns small diamonds and a set of unpolished fragments.
Interesting fact: according to archaeologists, the first diamonds were found on the territory of modern India about 3 thousand years ago. However, the existence of these gemstones was understood by people long before the first written mention of them. In ancient times, diamonds were valued primarily for their reflective abilities. Priests made jewelry for them, and also used them during pagan rituals. Warriors could carry these stones with them as amulets that protect them during battles from the enemy and the influence of evil spirits.
1. Golden anniversary (545.67 carats)
Original 755.5 carats of rough stone Golden anniversary were found in 1985 in a fertile blue area at the Prime Minister of South Africa mine. Gabriel Tolkowski cut it into 545.67 carats in a designed underground room, devoid of any vibrations. Now this precious stone is owned by King Bhumibol Adulyadej from Thailand. Its price is approximately 12 million dollars.
Did you knowthat the phrase “diamond rain” is not a beautiful pun at all. Unfortunately, this is impossible on our planet, but on Jupiter and Saturn, diamonds literally fall from the sky! This phenomenon is associated with the features of the chemical structure of the upper atmosphere of these planets. When electric discharges form there, methane becomes graphite, and falls to the surface of the planet already turning into diamonds.