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The Cullinan Weight: 3106.75 carats rough (slightly larger than an average fist) Source: Premier Mine, South Africa On January 25, 1905, workers in the Premier Mine were finishing the day's work, when one worker saw a large sparkle in the sun's rays. He called for Frederick Wells, the mine superintendent, to check out the finding. Wells thought it was a piece of glass put into the rock wall as a practical joke (the workers were known to do so). He dug it out with a pen knife. Wells found it to be the largest gem-quality diamond found to date and still holds that record. The rough measured 2 x 2.5 x 4 inches and weighed almost 1.333 pounds. On top of that, it was nearly flawless. It was named in honor of Sir Thomas Cullinan, the founder of the Premier Mine. Louis Botha, Premier of Transvaal, persuaded the government to buy the stone for about $1 million dollars and give it to England's King Edward VII in gratitude for granting Transvaal its own constitution. The King contacted Amsterdam's famous house of Asscher, who had previously cut the 995 carat Excelsor (the largest rough gem recorded before the Cullinan). The stone was studied for over eight months before it was finally cut at 2:45 p.m. on February 10, 1908. Asscher cut a half-inch groove with a special blade, raised his steel rod, and gave it a blow. Nothing happened. So he did it again. It cleaved exactly as planned. Rumor has it that Asscher fainted afterwards, but that is another story unto itself. The Cullinan diamond was divided into nine major gems, 96 smaller stones, and 9.5 carats of unpolished pieces. The two largest gems were retained for England's Regalia. The others were given to Asscher as payment. King Edward bought one of the major gems for his consort, Queen Mary; the other six were purchased by the people of South Africa and presented to Queen Mary in 1910. Two of the smaller stones were presented to Louis Botha, who gave one to his daughter on her seventeenth birthday. No one knows what happened to the little pieces. You might even be wearing one. The Cullinan still retains the record for the largest gem-quality diamond ever found. Major Stones Cut From The Cullinan   Number Weight   Shape     Cullinan I 530.20   pear      also known as the Great Star of Africa   Cullinan II 317.40   cusion   also known as the Lesser Star of Africa   Cullinan III 94.40   pear   Cullinan IV 63.60   square cusion   Cullinan V 18.50   heart   Cullinan VI 11.50   marquise   Cullinan VII 8.80   marquise   Cullinan VIII 6.80   rectangular cusion   Cullinan IX 4.39   pear Back to Previous Page Home Page Products Map and Location Knowledge Center Services Resources Search Contact Us