3 Largest Rough Diamonds in the World
Breathtakingly beautiful, these are the biggest rough gem-quality diamonds ever found
1
Cullinan Diamond The Cullinan Diamond weighed 3,106 carats when it was discovered in South Africa in 1905. It was three times larger than any other gem-quality diamond that had been discovered and the mine’s manager allegedly believed the stone was a fake and threw it out the window. The Cullinan was eventually given to King Edward VII, who had it cut into nine principal stones, several of which are now mounted onto the British Crown Jewels.
2
Sewelô Diamond In 2019, at the Karowe mine in Botswana, mining company Lucara recovered a 1,758-carat rough diamond—the second largest found in a century. Louis Vuitton emerged as the stone’s buyer, and the house spent months presenting it to various VIP clients and the press from the top floor of its Place Vendôme boutique. It also made it to Singapore for a quick stopover in 2020.
3
Lesedi de Rona Diamond This 1,109-carat diamond’s name means “Our Light” in Tswana, the language of Botswana, where it was unearthed. Formed between 2.5 billion and three billion years ago, it was roughly the size of a tennis ball and sold for US$53 million to Graff Diamonds in 2017. The jeweller bought another 373-carat diamond earlier that same year, which had originally been a part of Lesedi de Rona.