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The
Centenary Diamond
The Centenary Diamond was discovered in the Premier
Mine on July 17, 1986 using their X-ray imaging
system. The original rough was 599 carats (119.8 g)
and it was presented on May 11, 1988 in the
Centennial Celebration of the De Beers Consolidated
Mines. As then-chairman Julian Oglivie Thompson
said, "We have recovered at the Premier Mine a
diamond of 599 carats (119.8 g) which is perfect in
color – indeed it is one of the largest top-color
diamonds ever found. Naturally it will be called the
Centenary Diamond."
The Faceting of the Centenary
Cutting such an immense and valuable diamond
required expertise and a considerable investment.
Gabi Tolkowsky was chosen to head the team
responsible for cutting the Centenary Diamond, along
with Geoff Woolett, Jim Nash and Dawie du Plessis,
assisted by a specially picked group of engineers,
electricians and security guards to facilitate in
the work on Centenary Diamond. There was a special
room designed underground in the De Beers Diamond
Research Laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa
for the sole purpose of working on the Centenary
Diamond with design specifications including
strength and stability so as to preclude mechanical
vibration and temperature variation to minimize any
mitigating factor that might interfere with the
cutting of the Centenary Diamond.
The Final Facets, The
Value and Where is it Now?
The Centenary was completed in
February 1991, weighing 273.85 carats (54.770 g) with
its dimensions measuring 39.90 × 50.50 × 24.55 mm. The
final gem had 247 facets: 164 on the stone proper and 83
on the girdle. While the stone has never been publicly
appraised for value, it is known to have been insured at
over US$100 million at the time of its unveiling in May
1991. The stone was loaned to the Tower of London, where
it was displayed for a number of years. It is believed
that De Beers no longer owns the Centenary, but the
current owner is unknown. Gabi Tolkowsky has said that
he believes that the gem has been sold and De Beers
declines comment, citing its anonymity policy.
Read more about World's Largest Diamonds
The largest faceted diamond in the world is the Golden
Jubilee, weighing 545.67 carats. It is a Fancy Brownish-Yellow color and
"fire rose cushion cut." It is unusual also because it has a certain
type of rare color banding. The second largest faceted diamond in the
world is the Star of Africa, also known as the Cullinan I. It weighs
530.20 carats and is a pear shape with 74 facets. The third largest
diamond in the world is the Incomparable. It is a golden yellow-orange
color, pear shaped, and weighs 407 carats. The fourth largest faceted
diamond in the world is the Cullinan II. It was cut from the same stone
as the Star of Africa - aka Cullinan I. It weighs 317.40 carats and is a
cushion cut...
World's Famous Diamonds
Passion. Murder.
Insanity. Intrigue. Envy. A mere hint of the fascinating
stories behind the world's most remarkable diamonds.
Many have been associated with famous names - the likes
of Napoleon … Sultan Babur … Lady Astor … Shah Jehan …
Queen Victoria … Catherine the Great … Elizabeth Taylor.
Others have inspired awe and legend on account of their
size, origins or unique qualities. Since nearly the dawn
of time, diamonds have encrusted the armor of great
warriors,...
World's Famous Diamond Mines
The
oldest and most famous diamond mine in North America is
the Crater of Diamonds which is just south of
Murfreesboro, Arkansas. In 1906, diamonds were found
after John Wesley Huddleston bought the land to farm.
He noticed two small stones in the bottom of the bucket
of cattle feed. The stones were sent to Little
Rock jeweler who sent them to Tiffany's in New York and,...
World's Renowned Diamond Cutting Centers
Diamonds being easily transportable and being of high
value allows them to be moved to the most efficient and
economic locations for further processing. The several
factors that are considered in determining the location
of a diamond cutting facility...
History of Diamonds
The history of diamonds. Before the Medieval era Diamonds were worn
rough, or cut and polished only on their upper surfaces. It was in this form
that diamonds used to ornament temples, goblets, reliquaries, and crowns. The
history of cutting Diamonds dates back to the beginning of the 1400's in Paris.
Diamonds became popular in jewelry and from this time the history of diamonds
accelerated and many famous diamonds were cut. Read on the history timeline of
diamonds details important dates relating to famous diamonds and the history of
diamonds....
Read more...
A Diamond is Forever
De Beers launched a multi-million dollar "A Diamond is For Ever" advertising
campaign to rekindle the demand. With N.W. Iyer, its U.S. advertising agency, it
had developed aggressive campaign to promote sales of diamond anniversary rings
and jewelry for men... ...
Read more...
Buying Jewelry from Online (Internet) Stores
Internet has made the world a small place. Beautiful
jewelry from many countries and much more variety and
beauty ever imagined is available on online stores. If
you can get very good quality jewelry at lower prices
with more variety in designs, then online jewelry stores
are always a better choice. And this is true with many
renowned online jewelry websites! Online jewelry
buying.....
Read more...
Diamonds and De Beers - The Story of the
Diamond Cartel
When a gang of thieves with a
stolen bulldozer plowed into London's Millennium Dome in
November 2000 to steal a 203-carat diamond from a
display sponsored by De Beers, Nicky Oppenheimer, De
Beers's chairman, hailed the botched heist as wonderful
publicity:
"If only we could do this once every six
months. We could do away with the advertising department altogether."
For more than 100 years, the name De Beers has
evoked all glamour and mystery radiated by a diamond. Through shrewd
marketing and careful manipulation of the market, the South African company
has parlayed these pieces of crystallized carbon into
multi-billion-dollar-a-year business empire. De Beers has truly a family
affair. Built around the twin pillars of De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd.
and Angelo American Corporation of South Africa, the Oppenheimer dynasty
controls most of the world's diamond mining and trade and is one of the
biggest multi-nationals. They are the world's leading diamond producers...
Read more...
Read about Diamond History,
Diamond Trade, Buying Tips and more...
The Romans believed that diamonds brought
courage and bravery during battle. Jewish high priests used diamonds to
decide the innocence or guilt of the accused: A stone held before a
guilty person dulled and darkened; a stone held before an innocent
person glowed with increased brilliance. The Hindus believed that this
brilliant gem was created when....
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Information Summary...
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World's Largest Diamonds - The Centenary
