In today’s world, diamonds are a popular type of gemstone. However, high-quality diamonds with significant weight are extremely rare and incredibly valuable.
The Largest Diamonds in the World as of Now
1. Cullinan Diamond
The Cullinan Diamond is the largest rough diamond on Earth. It was discovered in a diamond mine in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan Diamond weighs up to 3,106.75 carats (~621.35 g). This rough diamond was later cut into 9 large diamonds and 96 smaller ones obtained from the fragments after being carved from Cullinan.
The two largest diamonds among the 9 are Cullinan I (also known as “The Star of Africa”) and Cullinan II, which were purchased by the Transvaal government to gift to King Edward II. Currently, Cullinan I is mounted on the Royal Sceptre of the British monarchy, while Cullinan II is set in the Royal Crown of the United Kingdom.
2. Lesedi La Rona Diamond
Lesedi La Rona, weighing 1,109 carats (~221.8 g), was discovered in 2015 from the Lucara Karowe mine in Botswana. In 2017, Lucara Diamond – the owner of the diamond – sold Lesedi La Rona to British jeweler Graff Diamonds for 53 million USD.
In early November 2018, Graff revealed that they had cut Lesedi La Rona into 60 smaller diamonds, which are currently being combined to create jewelry pieces. Graff Diamonds still owns Lesedi La Rona and promises to unveil more completed works in the future.
3. Excelsior Diamond
The Excelsior Diamond was discovered on June 30, 1983, at the Jagersfontein mine in South Africa. Excelsior weighs 995.2 carats (~194.35 g). Unlike other large diamonds, the history of the Excelsior Diamond is not well documented and remains somewhat of a mystery. For many years, the Excelsior Diamond was safely kept in a vault until its owner decided to cut it into smaller pieces, but none of the diamonds cut from Excelsior have been particularly noteworthy.
4. Star of Sierra Leone Diamond
The Star of Sierra Leone is the largest diamond ever found in the Republic of Sierra Leone, which has produced many other precious diamonds. It is also considered the largest alluvial diamond ever found in the world, weighing 969 carats (~193.8 g).
Just a few months after its discovery in early 1972, Harry Winston, a famous jeweler in New York, purchased the diamond for 2.5 million dollars. Later, the Star of Sierra Leone was cut into several smaller diamonds, and 6 of those were set into a brooch and sold for an undisclosed amount to a client (whose identity remains unknown) in 1975.
5. Legendary Lesotho Diamond
The Legendary Lesotho was discovered in early 2018 at a mine in Letseng (Lesotho). The Legendary Lesotho is the fifth largest diamond ever found in the world. The quality of this diamond is particularly remarkable as it is the purest type of diamond chemically. This has made the Legendary Lesotho one of the most valuable diamonds in the world, and it was later sold for 40 million dollars.
