KOH-I-NOOR ("Mountain of Light"):
Koh-i-noor is one of the worlds largest diamonds,
it weighed in at 186 carats when it was first
discovered *in 1304*. This oval shaped cut stone
is believed to have been set in the famous peacock throne
of Shah Jehan. Recut during the reign of Queen Victoria
it now weighs 108 carats and forms part of the British Crown Jewels.
2)Cullinan I The Star of Africa is the
largest diamond in the world:
Cullinan I - also known as The Star of Africa was named after
Sir Thomas Cullinan, owner of the mining company, and
currently claims the title of largest cut diamond in the world.
Of all the worlds largest diamonds Cullinan I is the largest.
It was cut by Asscher in Amsterdam, weighs 530.20 carats,
and has 74 facets. The Cullinan now resides in the Tower of London
and is set in the sceptre of King Edward VII.
3) The Excelsior - worlds second largest diamond:
The Excelsior *which means higher* is not only one of
the worlds largest diamonds it is the second largest diamond
ever found. It originally weighed 995.2 carats.
The diamond was cut into ten pieces, the three largest
weighing 158, 147 and 130 carats. These pieces were then
cut into 21 gems ranging from 70 carats to less than 1 carat.
An African mine worker found the diamond as he was loading
his truck, he kept the find secret until he could safely
turn it over to the mine manager who rewarded him
with some money, a horse and a saddle.
4) Orloff the worlds third largest diamond:
Orloff - the worlds third largest cut diamond weighs 194 carats.
It was once one of the eyes of the idol Sheringham,
in the temple of Brahma, later it was acquired by the Shah Nadir
who desired to own one of the worlds largest diamonds.
In 1775 it was given to Catherine II. of Russia by Grigori Orloff,
one of her ex-lovers, and has been called the Orloff since then.
5)The Great Mogul:
The Great Mogul is one of the worlds largest diamonds.
The rough diamond was discovered in the 17th century,
weighed 793 carats and was named after Shah Jehan...
builder of the Taj Mahal.
5)The Idols Eye large diamond:
The Idols Eye is a famous pear shaped diamond,
its polished size weighing in at 70.20 carats makes it
one of the worlds largest diamonds. The name of the stone
comes from the legend claiming that the Sheik of Kahmir stole it
from an idols eye to pay the Sultan of Turkey a ransom
for Princess Rasheetah.
6)Sefadu one of the worlds largest diamonds:
Sefadu was found in Sierra Leonne in 1970 and is owned by
American diamond company Lazare Kaplan. The uncut stone
weighs 620 carats which easily makes it one of
the worlds largest diamonds.
7)Centenary -
one of the worlds largest diamonds The Centenary,
was discovered at the Premier Mine of South Africa on the
17th of July 1986 and joined the ranks of the worlds largest diamonds,
it weighed in at 599.10 carats in rough form. Master-cutter
Gabi Tolkowsky took almost three years to complete its
transformation into the world's largest, modern-cut flawless diamond.
The Centenary has 75 facets on top, 89 on the bottom and
83 on the girdle, for a total of 247 facets. It weighs 273.85 carats
and now forms part of the British Crown Jewels.
8) Premier Rose -
one of the worlds largest diamonds The Premier Rose
became one of the worlds largest diamonds when it was
discovered in 1978. The diamond weighed 353.9 carats
and was cut into three diamonds known as the Premier Rose family.
All of them qualify to be one of the worlds largest diamonds.
The largest of the three kept the name Premier Rose and
now weighs 137.02 carats, is cut with 189 facets, and is
the second largest pear shaped diamond in the world.
It was sold in 1979 for $10,000,000.00.
9) The Regent -
one of the worlds largest diamonds The Regent
another of the worlds largest diamonds was discovered in
1701 by an Indian slave near Golconda, it weighed 410 carats
in the rough. Once owned by William Pitt, the English Prime Minister,
it was cut into a cushion shaped brilliant of 140.50 carats
and, until it was sold to the Duke of Orleans, Regent of France
when Louis XV was a boy in 1717, was called The Pitt.
It was then renamed The Regent and set in the crown Louis XV
wore at his coronation. After the French revolution, it was
owned by Napoleon Bonaparte who set it in the hilt of his sword.
It is now on display in the Louvre as one of the worlds largest diamonds.
10) The Blue Hope -
one of the worlds largest diamonds The Blue Hope
another of the worlds largest diamonds was once owned by Louis XIV
and officially designated the *blue diamond of the crown*.
It was stolen during the French Revolution but showed up again
in 1830 and was bought by Henry Philip Hope of London,
the diamond was named after the new owner. The Blue Hope Diamond
is believed to carry a curse, two of the owners had their
entire family die just one year apart. It now resides in the
Smithsonian in Washington where it is recognized as one of
the worlds largest diamonds.
11) The Sancy -
one of the worlds largest diamonds The Sancy is named
after one of its owners Seigneur de Sancy, a French Ambassador
to Turkey in the late 16th century. It was first owned
by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, who lost it in battle in 1477.
He loaned it to the French king, Henry III, who wore it in
the cap with which he concealed his baldness. Henry IV of France
also borrowed the stone from Sancy, but it was sold
in 1664 to James I of England. In 1688, James II,
King of England, fled with it to Paris and it has never been
found since. The Sancy weighed 55 carats making it one of the
smallest of the worlds largest diamonds.
12) Taylor Burton -
one of the worlds largest diamonds The Taylor-Burton diamond
was found in the Premier mine in 1966, the rough stone
weighed 240.80 carats. The famous diamond was purchased
by Harry Winston who commissioned the stone cleaved into two pieces,
the larger piece weighed 162 carats and was eventually
cut into a pear shaped 69.42 carat diamond. It was
later auctioned for $1,050,000 and named the "Cartier". The
diamond was then purchased by Richard Burton and given to
Elizabeth Taylor and renamed the Taylor-Burton. In 1978,
following her divorce from Richard Burton, Elizabeth put
one of the worlds largest diamonds up for sale to raise funds
for a hospital in Botswana. The current owner is
Robert Mouawad, President of the Mouawad Group.
