Diamond is considered to be one of the most expensive material available. Here is a brief description and history of the 3 largest diamonds in the world:
1. The Cullinan I – Found in South Africa’s mine named Pretoria, Cullinan diamond is the largest diamond of gem quality ever discovered. Its weight of 3106.75 carat (621.35 g, 1.37 lb) and largest length of 4.1 inches earns it the reputation of being the biggest diamond. The original piece was cut into nine stones and nearly one hundred smaller stones. The biggest polished gem derived from the stone is named as Cillinan I and frequently referred to as the Great Star of Africa. Weighing 530.4 carats (106.08 g) Cullinan I is the largest polished white diamond of the world. The pear shaped diamond is mounted in the British crown.
The second largest piece derived from the Cullinan stone is called the Second Star of Africa or Cillinan II. It weighs 317.4 carats (63.48 g), and is recognized as the forth largest diamond worldwide. It is also found among the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
2. The Incomparable – Discovered during 1980 in Mbuji Mayi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (earlier known as Zaire,) the rough diamond weighed 890 carats. It took four year for experienced professionals to study the stone before deciding its cut. Finally, the largest piece that could be successfully cut from the raw diamond weighed 407.48 carats and thus considered to be the second largest diamond ever cut. Measuring 53.90mm × 35.19mm × 28.18 mm it is internally flawless and has brownish-yellow color.
3. The Orloff – This is among the most famed diamonds of the world. This white rose cut diamond now resides at the Moscow Kremlin. Weighing 189.62 carats (37.924 g), its size is 32 mm x 35 mm x 31 mm. Its measurements make the Orloff the third biggest diamond cut in today’s world. Another feature that make this diamond so rare among historic diamonds is that somehow it has not been re-cut it into contemporary size and it continues to retain its unusual cut, fashioned like an Indian rose.
This diamond is slight bluish-green in color with a flat bottom and a faceted dome. The top surface is discernible by intense lines in triangular facets while four-sided facets emerge on it slower surface.