Huge diamonds are very, very rare and less than 80% of those diamonds harvested are worhty to be called gemstones. Most of the famous diamonds that have been created throughout the history of diamonds are not always known for just their high quality or sparkle. The most famous diamonds are also famous because of the story behind the diamond.
The Great Star of Africa is listed as the largest cut diamond ever. It is pear shaped and weighs in at a whopping 530.20 carats. It is part of the royal scepter and is kept along with the other crown jewels in the Tower of London. It was cut from the Cullian, a 3,106 carat diamond crystal that was used to create 96 smaller diamonds. 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 legend goes that the stone started out being a diamond eye of a Hindu idol. It was stolen by someone who just took one of the eyes because the thief was afraid of the consquences. It was given to Count Grigori Orloff, a Russian. 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. This diamond was crafted over three years. 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 diamond is priceless because of the 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 $2.8 million dollars and allowed the diamond to go to 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 finally sold to Philippe II, a French prince, in 1717. The diamond was used in the hat of Marie Antoinette and was also used in the the royal crown for a time. It was stolen during the revolution but recovered a short time later. 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.
