Large diamonds are exceptionally rare and only about 80% of all harvested diamonds are gemstone quality. Most of the well-known diamonds that have been deemed famous are not always the highest quality or the most beautiful. 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 which was a 3,106 carat diamond crystal that went on to create 96 smaller stones. The diamond legends tells that there may be another half of the Cullian whihc would have been one large 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’s the world’s largest, most flawless and modern cut diamond in in the world today. It took three years to craft this diamond. In 1991, at the Tower of London, the diamond was finally unvieled. It has never been appraised but is believed to be worth over $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 stone is beyond price because of the famous celebrity who owned it. Richard Burton, the famed actor, bought the diamond for this wife at the time, Elizabeth Taylor. It has been stated that he paid more than one million dollars for it. After Richard Burton passed away, Elizabeth Taylor sold the stone to charity for $2.Eight million dollars and arranged for the diamond to be shown in a museum.
The Regent Diamond is commonly thought to be one of the most beautiful diamonds. It was first discovered in 1698 in India. It was eventually sold to the French Prince Philippe II in 1717. The diamond was used in the hat of Marie Antoinette and was also used in the the royal crown for a time. Stolen during the revolution, it was recovered only a short time after. The diamond could be found on Napoleon Bonaparte’s sword until his death. Now you can find it at the Louvre, in the French Royal Treasry.
Diamonds always seem to hold great mystery and mystic. People throughout the ages have cherished and coveted this precious gemstone. Diamonds and their legends will live on until eternity. Articls by DanforthDiamond.com, your engagement ring experts.
