THE BIGGEST DIAMOND EVER FOUND was the CULLINAN DIAMOND, discovered on 26 January 1905 in the Premier mine, near Pretoria in South Africa. This stone (named after Thomas Cullinan, who was then the chairman of the mining company) is arguably the most famous jewel in the world, or at least one of them and after being gifted to King Edward VII in 1907, it was cut and polished by Joseph Asscher, producing 9 separate larger stones, 97 small ones and a collection of fragments. These include the Great Star of Africa diamond (aka the Cullinan I), which is now set into the Sovereign’s sceptre of Great Britain and the Second Star of Africa Diamond (aka the Lesser Star of Africa or the Cullinan II), which is currently held within the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. According to the Royal Collection Trust website, ‘Cullinan I is the largest colourless cut diamond in the world’. When not in use, both are kept with the rest of the British crown jewels in the Tower of London. In this royal jewels documentary from History Calling, we look at the history of this record breaking diamond, from discovery, through to its gifting to the King, the cutting process and the fate of the many pieces it became. This will include photographs of the diamond at all stages of its known existence and a look at some of Queen Elizabeth II’s jewellery, as several of the smaller pieces ended up in her private collection.
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