- Weight: 530.2 carats
- Color: Unrecorded
- Clarity: Unrecorded
- Cut: Pear
- Source: South Africa
One of the most famous diamonds is the Great Star of Africa, weighing 530.2 carats, which was cut from the world's largest rough diamond, the Cullinan I. The historic Cullinan diamond, found in South Africa in 1905,weighed an astounding 3,106.75 carats. It was cut into the Great Star of Africa (Cullinan I), the Lesser Star of Africa (known as the Cullinan II, weighing 317.40 carats), and 103 other diamonds of nearly flawless clarity. The principal diamonds are mounted in the British crown jewels.
Pear shaped, with 74 facets, it is set in the Royal Scepter (kept with the other Crown Jewels in the Tower of London).
It was cut from the 3,106-carat Cullian, the largest diamond crystal ever found. The Cullian was discovered in Transvaal, South Africa in l095 on an inspection tour of the Premier Mine.
The Cullian was cut by Joseph Asscher and Company of Amsterdam, who examined the enormous crystal for around six months before determining how to divide it. It eventually yielded nine major, and 96 smaller brilliant cut stones. When the Cullian was first discovered, certain signs suggested that it may have been part of a much larger crystal. But no discovery of the "missing half" has ever been authenticated.
