The Cullinan: What Is the Name of the Largest Cut Diamond in Existence
The answer hits hard. The Cullinan I, also called the Great Star of Africa. This 530.2-carat pear-shaped monolith sits atop the British Royal Scepter. It is not just big. It is the largest cut diamond on Earth, by a wide margin. Guys, explore more in Guides And Explainers and what is the name of the largest cut diamond in existence.
No other faceted stone comes close. Not the Lesedi La Rona. Not the Spirit of de Grisogono. The Cullinan I has held the crown since 1908.
A Rough Stone of Staggering Proportions
The story starts underground. In January 1905, miners at the Premier Mine in Transvaal, South Africa, spotted a blue-white lump glinting in the rock. It weighed 3,106 carats in its raw form. That is roughly the size of a human fist.
Joseph Asscher, the famous Amsterdam cutter, cleaved the beast. A single cleaving blow split the rough into three major pieces. The plan required nerves of steel. One wrong strike would have shattered the stone into dust. Instead, it yielded nine large diamonds and ninety-six smaller brilliant stones.
The Crown Jewels and the Great Star of Africa
The largest fragment became the Cullinan I. Edward VII purchased it for 150,000 pounds. Asscher's sons cut and polished the pear shape, bringing out a fire that still blinds observers today.
King Edward VII then set it into the Sovereign's Scepter with Cross. You can see the gem in the Tower of London, sitting in the Crown Jewels collection. It weighs as much as a small apple but carries a presence that dwarfs the room.
The second-largest cut diamond is the Cullinan II, or the Second Star of Africa. This 317.4-carat cushion-shaped stone sits in the Imperial State Crown. Together, the two stones form the most expensive pair of decorations ever assembled by human hands.
Why the Cullinan I Still Reigns Supreme
Size is not the only factor. The Cullinan I boasts exceptional clarity and a polished finish that defies its age. Modern cutters have produced large stones, but none have matched the sheer carat weight of this century-old giant.
A few notable diamonds flirt with the record. The Lesotho Legend sold for $40 million. The Constellation fetched $63 million. Yet neither exceeds the Cullinan I's raw dimensions. They are impressive, but they bow to the original.
The Legacy of the Stone That Broke Records
The diamond symbolizes absolute dominance. It represents a singular moment when nature delivered a prize that human skill merely refined. Every subsequent large diamond gets measured against the Cullinan I.
For those asking what is the name of the largest cut diamond in existence, the answer remains unchanged. The Great Star of Africa sits at the top. Nothing else has dethroned it in over a century.