The Cullinan Diamond

Found on January 26, 1905, the Cullinan diamond is the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found. In its rough state the giant rock weighed in at 3,106.75 carats. That’s over a pound! The diamond was found by Thomas Evan Powell at the Premier mine in South Africa. He was going about his daily tasks when a glint of sunlight caught his eye, he looked up, and sticking out of the wall was what looked like a huge chunk of glass. He retrieved the object and turned it over to his supervisor Frederick Wells. Wells took it to be examined and the hunk of glass turned out to be a huge diamond!  The stone was named for Sir Thomas Cullinan who owned the mine and who also happened to be touring it that very day. It was then decided to gift the stone to King Edward VII on his birthday in 1907. Now, shipping anything this valuable overseas was going to be difficult, but they had a plan. In order to fool criminals it was leaked that the diamond would be sent to England via a ship with many armed detectives, however in reality, the diamond was sent via registered mail! Can you imagine dropping that off at the post office?

The decision was made to send the stone to Amsterdam to be cut by the Asscher Brothers who had recently cut the large Excelsior diamond. After months of study, the stone was successfully cleaved into three large pieces which then were cut into 9 principle stones and 96 smaller stones. The nine main stones were polished and are currently a part of the English Crown Jewels. All nine stones are named Cullinan followed by a number in reference to the name that was given to the rough before it was cut. The nine main gems are as follows…

The Cullinan I – Also known as the Star of Africa, and the second largest faceted stone in the world, the Cullinan I is a 530.20 carat pear shaped diamond. It is currently set into the Sovereign’s Royal Sceptre, but it can also be worn as a part of a brooch with the Cullinan II. And let me tell you, that is one BIG brooch.

The Cullinan II - Also known as the Lesser Star of Africa, the Cullinan II is a 317.40 carat cushion shape. It is currently set center-front on the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. However, it can also be worn as the top half of a brooch along with the Cullinan I.

The Cullinan III - The Cullinan III is a 94.40 carat pear shape diamond which was originally set as the finial of Queen Mary’s crown. It can also be worn in a brooch with the Cullinan IV that is identical to the brooch made with the Cullinan I and II, merely smaller. The brooch can also act as a pendant.

The Cullinan IV- The Cullinan IV is a 63.60 carat cushion diamond that was originally set in the band of Queen Mary’s crown. It can also be worn as a brooch above the Cullinan III. The brooch has also been worn as a pendant.

The Cullinan V- The Cullinan V is a triangular shaped pear weighing 18.80 carats. It was originally to be worn in the circlet of Queen Mary’s crown as a replacement for the Koh-I-Noor diamond after its removal to the crown made for Queen Elizabeth in 1937. The Cullinan V is also worn as part of a brooch.

The Cullinan VI- The Cullinan VI is an 11.50 carat marquise cut diamond which is worn as a drop on a stunning diamond and emerald necklace.

The Cullinan VII- The Cullinan VII is also a marquise cut weighing in at 8.80 carats. (Isn’t it amazing how small that sounds now?) It is currently set as a drop on the pendant featuring the Cullinan VIII in the center.

The Cullinan VIII- The Cullinan VIII is a 6.80 carat cushion cut which is currently the featured stone in a brooch from which also hangs the Cullinan VII.

The Cullinan IX- The Cullinan IX is a positively tiny 4.39 carat pear shape diamond that was mounted in a ring for Queen Mary.

Whew, that’s quite a lot of bling for one person. Queen Mary was photographed on several occasions wearing the Cullinans I through IV at once! Although, sadly for her diamond loving subjects, Queen Elizabeth II usually sticks to one brooch at a time.  Do you think you could pull off wearing over a thousand carats at the same time? Yes? Me too!