Famous Diamonds

By Author: jacksmith
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There is a myriad of diamond merchants selling diamonds, all purporting to have the best and unfortunately, quite often, offering the diamond purchaser inferior diamonds. Every type and design of jewellery can be purchased from somewhere. In fact, the choice available to us now is overwhelming. Purchasers need to find a reputable diamond merchant and jeweller if they are planning to invest in diamonds or buy an engagement ring and wedding band. After all, after your house, your children's education and perhaps your car, this is one of the most important purchases you will ever make.

Unlike many online jewellers, My Diamonds ~ www.mydiamonds.com.au is confident that it can offer you the best, most exquisite diamonds available today. As loose diamond merchants, they can source immediately, high quality Australian diamonds, from the sparkling, brilliant cut, to the black diamond which has become more fashionable, to the very rare pink.

Call them on 1800 766 567 and speak with one of their diamond specialists who will guide you to your purchase.

There are some utterly exquisite diamonds that ...
... have their place in the history books and will be of great interest to anyone who is curious about the mystery of the diamond. Below are some of the best.
The Great Star of Africa
Weighing 530.20 carats, the Cullinan I or Star of Africa, is the largest cut diamond in the world. It is a superb pear shaped diamond of 74 facets, and set in the Royal Sceptre. This is part of the Royal Collection, the Crown Jewels, which is housed in the Tower of London.

This amazing stone was cut from the 3,106 carat Cullian which was discovered in Transvaal in South Africa in 1095 and is the largest diamond crystal ever found.

Cut by Joseph Asscher and Company of Amsterdam, it wasn't cut for six months after discovery, as decisions had to be made on how to divide it. The discovery of the Cullian suggested that it could have been part of a much larger crystal. However, this missing discovery has never been authenticated.

The Orloff
This exquisite diamond was 300 carats when found and is slightly bluish green in colour. The clarity of the diamond is exceptionally pure and is cut in a Mogul-cut rose.

The stone is now in the Diamond Treasury of Russia, which is in the capital, Moscow. History states that it may have been set at one time as the diamond eye of Vishnu's idol, a Hindu God, before being stolen in the 1700's by a French deserter. The stone was then sold in Madras to an English sea captain for £2000.

The stone then arrived in Amsterdam, where Russian Count Grigori Orloff bought the diamond for £90,000 and gave it to his ex-lover, Empress Catherine the Great. She, in turn gave him a marble palace, but not her love.

In 1812, fearing that Napoleon may invade Moscow, the Russians hid the Orloff in a priest's tomb. As a member of Napoleon's army was about to make off with the diamond, the Army was cursed by the priest's ghost and Napoleon left it in it's hiding place.

The Centenary Diamond
Weighing 273.85 Carats, this stone was discovered at the Premier Mine, South Africa in July 1986. In the rough, this diamond weighed 599.10 carats. Master-cutter Gabi Tolkowsky took almost three years to craft this stone in to the largest, top-colour, flawless diamond.

The stone is only surpassed in size by the 530.20 carat 'Great Star of Africa' and the 317.40 carat 'Lesser Star of Africa', both of which are set in the British Crown Jewels. This modern cut diamond was launched onto the world in 1991 at the Tower of London.

The Koh-i-Noor.
This superb oval cut diamond is part of the British Crown Jewels. Koh-i-Noor means 'Mountain of Light', and it's history dates back to 1304. This is the longest history of all exceptional and famous diamonds.

It is a diamond of 105.60 carats and was captured by the Rajahs of Malwa in the sixteenth century by Mogul Sultan Babur. At the break up of the Persian Empire, the diamond was to be found in India. History would have it that it may have travelled to Afghanistan with Nadir Shah's bodyguard who fled when the Shah was murdered.
When fighting broke out between the Sikhs and the British, The East India Company claimed the diamond and presented it to Queen Victoria in 1850. The stone was re cut from it's original 1986 carats to 108.93. It was worn by the Queen in a brooch and then set in the State Crown, worn for coronation of monarchs. It's is now kept in the Tower of London.

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