The Cullinan Diamond is the largest
gem-quality rough diamond ever found,
[Scarratt and Shor, p. 120.] weighing (1 lb 5.92 oz), discovered at the
Premier No.2 mine in
Cullinan, South Africa, on 26 January 1905. It was named after
Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine. In April 1905, it was put on sale in London, but despite considerable interest, it was still unsold after two years. In 1907, the
Transvaal Colony
The Transvaal Colony () was the name used to refer to the Transvaal region during the period of direct British rule and military occupation between the end of the Second Boer War in 1902 when the South African Republic was dissolved, and the ...
government bought the Cullinan and Prime Minister
Louis Botha
Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, ...
presented it to
Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom, who had it cut by
Joseph Asscher & Co. in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
.
Cullinan produced stones of various cuts and sizes, the largest of which is named Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, and at (3.74 ounces) it is the largest clear cut diamond in the world. The stone is mounted in the head of the
Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross. The second-largest is Cullinan II or the Second Star of Africa, weighing , mounted in the
Imperial State Crown
The Imperial State Crown is one of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and symbolises the sovereignty of the monarch.
It has existed in various forms since the 15th century. The current version was made in 1937 and is worn by the monarc ...
. Both are part of the
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, originally the Crown Jewels of England, are a collection of royal ceremonial objects kept in the Tower of London which include the Coronation of the British monarch, coronation regalia and vestments worn ...
. Seven other major diamonds, weighing a total of , were privately owned by
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
, who inherited them from her grandmother,
Queen Mary, in 1953. The Queen also owned minor
brilliants and a set of unpolished fragments.
Discovery and early history
![FGS Wells with Cullinan Diamond](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/FGS_Wells_with_Cullinan_Diamond.jpg)
The Cullinan is estimated to have formed in Earth's mantle
transition zone at a depth of 410–660 km (255–410 miles) and reached the surface 1.18 billion years ago. It was found below the surface at Premier Mine in
Cullinan,
Transvaal Colony
The Transvaal Colony () was the name used to refer to the Transvaal region during the period of direct British rule and military occupation between the end of the Second Boer War in 1902 when the South African Republic was dissolved, and the ...
, by Frederick Wells, surface manager at the mine, on 26 January 1905. It was approximately long, wide, deep, and weighed .
Newspapers called it the "Cullinan Diamond", a reference to Sir
Thomas Cullinan, who opened the mine in 1902. It was three times the size of the
Excelsior Diamond
The Excelsior Diamond is a gem-quality diamond, and was the largest known diamond in the world from the time of its discovery in 1893 until 1905, when the Cullinan Diamond was found. It was found on June 30, 1893 at the Jagersfontein Mine in Sou ...
, found in 1893 at
Jagersfontein Mine
Jagersfontein Mine was an open-pit mine in South Africa, located close to the town of Jagersfontein and about south-west of Bloemfontein. , weighing . Four of its eight surfaces were smooth, indicating that it once had been part of a much larger stone broken up by natural forces. It had a blue-white hue and contained a small pocket of air, which at certain angles produced a rainbow, or
Newton's rings
Newton's rings is a phenomenon in which an interference pattern is created by the reflection of light between two surfaces, typically a spherical surface and an adjacent touching flat surface. It is named after Isaac Newton, who investigated the ...
.
Shortly after its discovery, Cullinan went on public display at the
Standard Bank
Standard Bank Group Limited is a major South African bank and financial services group. It is Africa's biggest lender by assets. The company's corporate headquarters, Standard Bank Centre, is situated in Simmonds Street, Johannesburg.
History ...
in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
, where it was seen by an estimated 8,000–9,000 visitors. In April 1905, the rough gem was deposited with Premier Mining Co.'s London sales agent,
S. Neumann & Co. Due to its immense value, detectives were assigned to a
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
that was rumoured to be carrying the stone, and a parcel was ceremoniously locked in the captain's safe and guarded on the entire journey. It was a diversionary tactic – the stone on that ship was fake, meant to attract those who would be interested in stealing it. Cullinan was sent to the United Kingdom in a plain box via registered post. On arriving in London, it was conveyed to
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
for inspection by King
Edward VII. Although it drew considerable interest from potential buyers, Cullinan went unsold for two years.
Presentation to Edward VII
Transvaal Prime Minister,
Louis Botha
Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, ...
, suggested buying the diamond for Edward VII as "a token of the loyalty and attachment of the people of the Transvaal to His Majesty's throne and person". In August 1907, a vote was held in the Legislative Council on the Cullinan's fate, and a motion authorising the purchase was carried by 42 votes in favour to 19 against. Initially,
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (né Campbell; 7 September 183622 April 1908) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. He served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 190 ...
, then British Prime Minister, advised the king to decline the offer, but he later decided to let Edward VII choose whether or not to accept the gift. Eventually, he was persuaded by
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
, then Colonial Under-Secretary. For his trouble, Churchill was sent a replica, which he enjoyed showing off to guests on a silver plate.
[Field, p. 72.] The Transvaal Colony government bought the diamond on 17 October 1907 for £150,000,
[Bariand and Duchamp, p. 97.] which adjusted for pound-sterling inflation is equivalent to £ in . Due to a 60% tax on mining profits, the Treasury received some of its money back from the Premier Diamond Mining Company.
The diamond was presented to the king at
Sandringham House
Sandringham House is a country house in the parish of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. It is one of the royal residences of Charles III, whose grandfather, George VI, and great-grandfather, George V, both died there. The house stands in a estate ...
by Agent-General of the colony,
Sir Richard Solomon, on 9 November 1907 – his sixty-sixth birthday – in the presence of a large party of guests, including the
Queen of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument ...
, the
Queen of Spain
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
, the
Duke of Westminster
Duke of Westminster is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. It is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the ...
and
Lord Revelstoke. The king asked his colonial secretary,
Lord Elgin
Earl of Elgin is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1633 for Thomas Bruce, 3rd Lord Kinloss. He was later created Baron Bruce, of Whorlton in the County of York, in the Peerage of England on 30 July 1641. The Earl of Elgin is the h ...
, to announce that he accepted the gift "for myself and my successors" and that he would ensure "this great and unique diamond be kept and preserved among the historic jewels which form the heirlooms of the Crown".
Cutting process
![Joseph Asscher splitting the Cullinan diamond](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Joseph_Asscher_splitting_the_Cullinan_diamond.jpg)
The king chose
Joseph Asscher & Co. of
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
to cleave and polish the rough stone into brilliant gems of various cuts and sizes.
Abraham Asscher
Abraham Asscher (19 September 1880 – 2 May 1950) was a Dutch Jewish businessman from Amsterdam, a politician, and a leader of his community who attained notoriety for his role during the German occupation of the Netherlands (1940–1945).
Earl ...
collected it from the
Colonial Office
The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of col ...
in London on 23 January 1908.
[Balfour, p. 71.] He returned to the Netherlands by train and ferry with the diamond in his coat pocket.
Meanwhile, to much fanfare, a
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
ship carried an empty box across the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
, again throwing off potential thieves. Even the captain was unaware that his "precious" cargo was a decoy.
On 10 February 1908, the rough stone was split in half by Joseph Asscher at his diamond-cutting factory in Amsterdam. At the time, technology had not yet evolved to guarantee the quality of modern standards, and cutting the diamond was difficult and risky. After weeks of planning, an incision deep was made to enable Asscher to cleave the diamond in one blow. Making the incision alone took four days, and a steel knife broke on the first attempt,
but a second knife was fitted into the groove and split it clean in two along one of four possible
cleavage planes.
[Crookes, pp. 77–79.] In all, splitting and cutting the diamond took eight months, with three people working 14 hours per day to complete the task.
"The tale is told of Joseph Asscher, the greatest cleaver of the day," wrote Matthew Hart in his book ''Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession'' (2002), "that when he prepared to cleave the largest diamond ever known … he had a doctor and nurse standing by and when he finally struck the diamond … he fainted dead away". Lord Ian Balfour, in his book ''Famous Diamonds'' (2009), dispels the fainting story, suggesting it was more likely Joseph would have celebrated, opening a bottle of champagne.
When Joseph's nephew Louis heard the story, he exclaimed "No Asscher would ever faint over any operation on any diamond".
Diamonds cut from the Cullinan
Cullinan produced 9 major stones of in total, plus 96 minor
brilliants and some unpolished fragments weighing . All but the two largest stones – Cullinans I and II – remained in Amsterdam by arrangement as the fee for Asscher's services, until the South African government bought them (except Cullinan VI, which Edward VII had purchased and given to his wife
Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...
in 1907), and the
High Commissioner for Southern Africa
The British office of high commissioner for Southern Africa was responsible for governing British possessions in Southern Africa, latterly the protectorates of Basutoland (now Lesotho), the Bechuanaland Protectorate (now Botswana) and Swaziland ...
presented them to
Queen Mary on 28 June 1910.
Mary also inherited Cullinan VI from Alexandra, and she left all her Cullinan diamonds to her granddaughter
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
in 1953. Cullinans I and II are part of the Crown Jewels,
which belong to the King in right of the Crown.
Asscher sold the minor stones to the South African government, which distributed them to Queen Mary;
Louis Botha
Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, ...
, then prime minister of South Africa; the diamond merchants Arthur and Alexander Levy, who supervised the cutting of Cullinan; and Jacob Romijn (later Romyn), who co-founded the first trade union in the diamond industry. Some were set by Mary into a long platinum chain, which Elizabeth never wore in public, saying that "it gets in the soup". In the 1960s, two minor Cullinan diamonds owned by Louis Botha's heirs were analysed at the
De Beers
De Beers Group is an international corporation that specializes in diamond mining, diamond exploitation, diamond retail, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. The company is active in open-pit, large-scale alluvial and c ...
laboratory in Johannesburg and found to be completely free of
nitrogen
Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...
or any other impurities. Cullinans I and II were examined in the 1980s by gemologists at the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
and both graded as colourless
type IIa.
Cullinan I
![Cullinan major diamonds](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Cullinan_major_diamonds.jpg)
Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa, is a
pendeloque
A pendeloque is a pear-shaped modification of the round brilliant cut used for diamonds and other gemstones.
See also
* Briolette
* Cut (gems)
When a gemstone is desired to be used in jewelry, it is cut depending on the size and shape of the ...
-cut brilliant weighing and has 74 facets.
[Manutchehr-Danai, p. 118.] It is set at the top of the
Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross which had to be redesigned in 1910 to accommodate it. Cullinan I was surpassed as the world's largest cut diamond of any colour by the brown
Golden Jubilee Diamond
The Golden Jubilee Diamond, a 545.67 carat (109.13 g) brown diamond, is the largest cut and faceted diamond in the world. It outweighs the Cullinan I by 15.37 carats (3.07 g). The Golden Jubilee Diamond was discovered in 1985 at the Premier Mine ...
in 1992, but is still the largest clear cut diamond in the world. In terms of clarity, it has a few tiny cleavages and a small patch of graining. The diamond is fitted with loops and can be taken out of its setting to be worn as a pendant suspended from Cullinan II to make a
brooch
A brooch (, also ) is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with vitreous enamel, ...
.
[Scarratt and Shor, p. 128.] Queen Mary, wife of George V, often wore it like this. In 1908, the stone was valued at US$2.5 million (equivalent to US$ million in )– two and a half times the rough Cullinan's estimated value.
Cullinan II
Cullinan II, or the Second Star of Africa, is a cushion-cut brilliant with 66 facets weighing set in the front of the
Imperial State Crown
The Imperial State Crown is one of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and symbolises the sovereignty of the monarch.
It has existed in various forms since the 15th century. The current version was made in 1937 and is worn by the monarc ...
,
below the
Black Prince's Ruby
The Black Prince's Ruby is a large, irregular cabochon red spinel weighing set in the cross pattée above the Cullinan II diamond at the front of the Imperial State Crown of the United Kingdom. The spinel is one of the oldest parts of the Crown ...
(a large
spinel
Spinel () is the magnesium/aluminium member of the larger spinel group of minerals. It has the formula in the cubic crystal system. Its name comes from the Latin word , which means ''spine'' in reference to its pointed crystals.
Properties
S ...
). It measures . The diamond has a number of tiny flaws, scratches on the table facet, and a small chip at the girdle. Like Cullinan I, it is held in place by a yellow gold enclosure, which is screwed onto the crown.
Cullinan III
Cullinan III, or the Lesser Star of Africa, is pear-cut and weighs .
In 1911,
Queen Mary, wife and
queen consort of
George V, had it set in the top
cross pattée
A cross pattée, cross patty or cross paty, also known as a cross formy or cross formée (french: croix pattée, german: Tatzenkreuz), is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre, and often flared in a curve or straight ...
of a crown that she personally bought for her coronation. In 1912, the
Delhi Durbar Tiara, worn the previous year by Mary instead of a crown at the
Delhi Durbar
The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was ...
, where her husband wore the
Imperial Crown of India
The Imperial Crown of India is the crown that was used by King in his capacity as Emperor of India at the Delhi Durbar of 1911.
Origin
Tradition prohibits the Crown Jewels from leaving the United Kingdom, a product of the days when kings and q ...
, was also adapted to take Cullinans III and IV.
In 1914, Cullinan III was permanently replaced on the crown by a crystal model.
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
frequently wore Cullinan III in combination with Cullinan IV as a brooch. In total, the brooch is long and wide. Cullinan III has also been used as a pendant on the
Coronation Necklace, where it occasionally replaced the Lahore Diamond.
Cullinan IV
![Mary of Teck 1914](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Mary_of_Teck_1914.jpg)
Cullinan IV, also referred to as a Lesser Star of Africa, is square-cut and weighs .
It was also set in the base of
Queen Mary's Crown but was removed in 1914. On 25 March 1958, while she and
Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...
were on a state visit to the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, Queen Elizabeth II revealed that Cullinan III and IV are known in her family as "Granny's Chips". They visited the
Asscher Diamond Company, where Cullinan had been cut 50 years earlier. It was the first time the Queen had worn the brooch publicly. During her visit, she unpinned the brooch and offered it for examination to Louis Asscher, nephew of Joseph Asscher, who split the rough diamond. Aged 84, he was deeply moved that the Queen had brought the diamonds with her, knowing how much it would mean to him seeing them again after so many years.
Cullinan V
Cullinan V is an heart-shaped diamond set in the centre of a platinum brooch that formed a part of the
stomacher
A stomacher is a decorated triangular panel that fills in the front opening of a woman's gown or bodice. The stomacher may be boned, as part of a corset, or may cover the triangular front of a corset. If simply decorative, the stomacher lies ov ...
made for Queen Mary to wear at the
Delhi Durbar
The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was ...
in 1911. The brooch was designed to show off Cullinan V and is pavé-set with a border of smaller diamonds. It can be suspended from the VIII brooch and can be used to suspend the VII pendant. It was often worn like this by Mary.
Cullinan VI
Cullinan VI is marquise-cut and weighs .
It hangs from the brooch containing Cullinan VIII and forming part of the stomacher of the Delhi Durbar
parure
A parure () is a set of various items of matching jewelry, which rose to popularity in early 19th-century Europe.
Terminology
A parure typically consists of a combination of a matching necklace, earrings, brooch, bracelet and often a diadem or tia ...
. Cullinan VI along with VIII can also be fitted together to make yet another brooch, surrounded by some 96 smaller diamonds. The design was created around the same time that the Cullinan V heart-shaped brooch was designed, both having a similar shape.
Cullinan VII
Cullinan VII is also marquise-cut and weighs .
It was originally given by Edward VII to his wife and consort
Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...
. After his death she gave the jewel to Queen Mary, who had it set as a pendant hanging from the diamond-and-emerald Delhi Durbar necklace, part of the parure.
Cullinan VIII
Cullinan VIII is an oblong-cut diamond weighing .
It is set in the centre of a brooch forming part of the stomacher of the Delhi Durbar parure. Together with Cullinan VI it forms a brooch.
Cullinan IX
Cullinan IX is smallest of the principal diamonds to be obtained from the rough Cullinan. It is a pendeloque or stepped pear-cut stone, weighs , and is set in a platinum ring known as the Cullinan IX Ring.
See also
*
List of diamonds
Diamond (gemstone), Diamonds become famous typically for some combination of their size, color and quality. Diamonds occur naturally in many different colors, so the largest diamond of a particular color may not be large in absolute terms, but it ...
*
List of largest rough diamonds
This is a partial list of the largest non-synthetic diamonds with a rough stone (uncut) weight of over 200 carats (40 grams). The list is not intended to be complete – e.g., the Cullinan (formerly Premier) mine alone has produced 135 diamond ...
*
Elizabeth II's jewels
Queen Elizabeth II owned a historic collection of jewels – some as monarch and others as a private individual. They are separate from the gems and jewels of the Royal Collection, and from the coronation and state regalia that make up ...
Further reading
* Shipley, Robert M. ''Important Diamonds of the World'', pp. 15–16.
Gemological Institute of America
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a nonprofit institute based in Carlsbad, California. It is dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect buyers and ...
, Vol. 3, No. 10 (Summer 1941)
References
Bibliography
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External links
The Cullinan Diamondat the Royal Collection Trust (archived)
Famous Diamondsat Cape Town Diamond Museum
{{authority control
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
Diamonds originating in South Africa
1905 in South Africa
Transvaal
History of Pretoria
Individual diamonds