History knows dozens of beautiful and large gems, the cost of which could overshadow the human mind. Some are concentrated in private collections, others are national property or belong to monarchs. The largest and most famous specimens have their own names and legends.
Orlov
The Orlov diamond is one of the most beautiful and largest stones in the world, it is the largest diamond in the Diamond Fund. The transparent stone with a bluish-green tint has a unique Indian cut, its current weight is 189.6 carats. There is a legend that in the past the gem had the shape of a rose, weighed 279.9 carats and was called the "Great Mogul". The stone belonged to the rulers of India, but after 1747 it was irretrievably lost to this country. After some time, he "surfaced" in Amsterdam, was bought by Count Orlov and presented to his beloved Empress Catherine II.
Centenary
In 1986, a crystal weighing almost 600 carats was found at a mine in South Africa called Premier. This stone was processed by the famous jeweler Gabi Tolkowski for three years, when the work was completed, the weight of the diamond was 274 carats.
The bloodiest diamond "Regent" weighs 140 carats, "Florentine" - 137, "Tiffany" - 128, and the famous "Koh-i-noor" weighs 108 carats, before re-cutting weighed more than 200 carats.
Incomparable
The third of the largest diamonds was found at the end of the 20th century in Congo, its weight before cutting exceeded 800 carats, after processing it decreased to 407 carats. Incomparable has a rare golden yellow color, today the stone is adorned with a delightful rose gold necklace.
Cullinan
The huge Cullinan diamond was found in 1905 in the territory of modern South Africa, its original weight was more than 621 g - 3106 carats. Then he was the largest diamond ever found in the world. Researchers found that the stone was a shard of a larger crystal, but attempts to find it were never successful. In 1907, the diamond was bought from the owner of the mine, Thomas Cullinan, for £ 150,000 and presented to the British monarch, King Edward VII. In 1908, the Dutch jewelry company Asher & Co was commissioned to process the huge crystal.
The second largest splinter of Cullinan, the "Second Star of Africa" weighing 314.4 carats, adorns the English crown. The rest of the pieces also belong to British monarchs, they are inlaid with brooches, pendants and rings.
The best cutter in Europe, Josef Assker, worked on it, the master studied the stone for several months before bringing a chisel to it. In the presence of the jewelers, Assker gently hit the chisel set to the diamond with a hammer and lost consciousness from excitement. Coming to his senses, he saw that his calculations were correct, he split the crystal along natural cracks into 9 large and 96 small pieces, which were subsequently cut and turned into diamonds. The largest piece of diamond was given the shape of a pear, it was named "Big Star of Africa", today this beautiful 530 carat diamond adorns the top of the scepter of Edward VII and is the second largest diamond in the world.
Golden jubilee
In 1985, a golden brown diamond weighing 755.5 carats was discovered in a South African mine, and after cutting its weight was 540 carats. Thus, the stone ousted the "Big Star of Africa", which until that time was considered the largest diamond in the world. In 1997, the crystal received the name "Golden Jubilee" and was presented to the King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej in honor of the 50th anniversary. Today it is the largest cut diamond in the history of mankind.
