Diamonds: Romanance Of The Stone

It’s believed the first diamonds were mined in India between 3,000 and 6,000 years ago, where significant deposits of alluvial could be found along the rivers Krishna, Penner and Godavari. The deposits were so rich that India became the main supplier of diamonds until into the eighteenth century when diamonds  were discovered in Brazil.

In 1867, massive sources of diamonds were discovered in Hopetown, South Africa, and a company called De Beers Consolidated Mines was set up, the name De Beers is still synonymous with diamonds

These days the top three diamonds producers are Botswana, Russia and Canada.

Up until the 15th Century only royalty wore diamonds and they were associated with strength endurance and courage. Diamonds became associated with love and romance when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave his betrothed Mary of Burgundy, a diamond set in a gold band. He is believed to have placed it on the third finger of her left hand, which is said to contain a vein which leads straight to the heart, thus was born the engagement ring.

Today diamonds are much sought after as a symbol of wealth, glamour  and status. Recently a diamond sold at Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong for $7.98 million. The diamond was described as a rare and flawless blue diamond and set a record as the most expensive diamond ever sold.

The Largest And Most Expensive Diamonds

The largest rough diamond of gem quality ever to have existed was the 3,206.75 carat, Cullinan diamond. The diamond was cut into 105 stones altogether. However, it is famous for nine large diamonds that were cut from the original.

The two largest stones, the 530.4 carat Great Star of Africa and the 317.4 carat Lesser Star of Africa are now found on the British Crown Jewels. The Cullinan diamonds are valued at over €250 million.

One of the most expensive cut diamonds in existence is the 273.15 carat Centenary Diamond,  followed by the  Millennium Star Diamond created by De Beers, weighing  203.04 carats. The Centenary Diamond is valued at a minimum of €80 million while the Millennium Star Diamond is insured for €120 million.

The largest cut diamond is actually not the Great Star of Africa but the Golden Jubilee Diamond. Brown in colour, it weighs 545.67 carats. Like the Centenary Diamond, it was cut by the famous sixth generation diamond cutter, Gabi Tolkowsky. Given the fact that the Golden Jubilee is far from flawless it is only thought to be worth up to €10 million. This is despite its great size.

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