Largest Diamonds Ever Found In The World

Do you know what are the largest diamonds ever found in the world?
The Cullinan I, Star of Africa the largest cut diamond weighed around 520 carats with about 76 facets. It is cut from the largest rough diamond that was ever found throughout history. It weighed over 3,106 carats with a weight of 1.26 pounds
The second largest diamond is the Excelsior, which originally weighed about 995 carats.
The third largest rough diamond ever found was the Star of Sierra Leone which weighed about 969 carats.
The fourth largest, the great Mughal weighed about 793 carats.
The largest diamond found in North America is called the Uncle Sam Diamond weighing about 40.23 carats found near Murfreesboro, Arkansas which used to be displayed in the American Museum of Natural History.

Some List Of Diamonds

LIST OF DIAMOND

The Akbar Shah, an Indian diamond with a roughly pear-shaped outline and random faceting, including two Arabic inscriptions, the first reading "Shah Akbar, the Shah of the World, 1028 A.H." (the letters mean "After Hegira", the first year of the Muslim era, A.D. 622. The second inscription read "To the Lord of Two Worlds, 1039 A.H. Shah Jehan". The diamond was reportedly part of the original Peacock Throne. Purchased in 1886 in Constantinople by London merchant George Blogg, who recut it from 116 carats to a pear-shape of 71.70 carats, thus destroying the historic inscriptions. Blogg was the last known owner and the stone's whereabouts are presently unknown.
The Allnatt Diamond, a large antique cushion-shaped brilliant Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond.
The Agra Diamond, antique cushion-shaped stellar brilliant, 28 carats.
The Amsterdam Diamond, a 33.74 carat (6.748 g) pear-shaped black diamond which sold for $352,000 in 2001.
The Archduke Joseph Diamond, antique cushion-shaped brilliant, originally weighing 78.54 carats, purchased by Molina Jewelers of Arizona sometime in the late-1990s and slightly recut to 76.45 carats to improve clarity and symmetry. D color, Internally Flawless.
The Beau Sancy, a 34-carat diamond not to be confused with the Sancy.
The Black Orlov, a 67.50 carat cushion-cut black diamond, also called the Eye of Brahma Diamond.
The Blue Heart Diamond, 30.82-carat heart brilliant. Part of the Smithsonian collection.
The Briolette of India Diamond, 90 carats.
The Centenary Diamond, modified heart-shaped brilliant, the world's largest colorless (grade D), flawless diamond.
The Dresden Green Diamond, antique pear-shaped brilliant - its color is the result of natural irradiation
The Dresden White Diamond, 47-carat antique oval brilliant, colorless/near-colorless
The Dresden Yellow Diamond, an antique round cut weighing 38 carats
The Earth Star Diamond a 111.59-carat, pear-shaped diamond with a strong coffee-like brown color.
The Empress Eugenie Diamond, 52-carat antique pear-shaped brilliant with an odd, random facet pattern
The Excelsior Diamond, the largest known diamond in the world prior to the Cullinan
The Florentine Diamond, a lost diamond, light yellow with a weight of 137.27 carats (27.45 g).
The Golden Jubilee Diamond, the largest faceted diamond ever cut at 545.67 carats (109.13 g).
The Great Mogul Diamond, fabled 280-carat mogul-cut diamond, now lost, although presumed by historians to have been recut as the Orlov.
The Gruosi Diamond, a heart-shaped black diamond, weighing 115.34 carats.
The Heart of Eternity Diamond, perhaps the largest Fancy Vivid Blue
The Hope Diamond, Fancy Dark Grayish-Blue and supposedly cursed. Almost certainly cut from the French Blue Diamond
The Hortensia Diamond, peach color, formerly part of the French Crown Jewels. Displayed in the Louvre.
The Jubilee Diamond, originally known as the Reitz Diamond; perhaps the sixth-largest in the world.
The Kazanjian Red Diamond, a 5.05-carat Asscher-cut red diamond formerly known simply as "Red Diamond". It was cut from a 35-carat piece of boart discovered near Lichtenburg, South Africa. It reappeared in 2007 after a 37-year absence from sight, and was purchased by Kazanjian Brothers Inc.
The Koh-i-Noor, a 105 carat (21.6 g) white of Indian origin, with a long and turbulent history and a good deal of legend surrounding it. After belonging to various Mughal and Persian rulers, it was taken away from the Maharaja Duleep Singh of Lahore and was presented to Queen Victoria during the British Raj, and is now part of the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
The Lesotho Promise, is the 15th-largest diamond, the tenth-largest white diamond, and the largest diamond to be found in 13 years
The Millennium Star, at 203 carats is the second-largest colorless (grade D), flawless diamond.
The Moussaieff Red Diamond, the largest known Fancy Red
The Mouna Diamond, 112 carats, Fancy Intense Yellow cushion-shaped brilliant.
The Ocean Dream Diamond, the only known natural Fancy Deep Blue-Green.
The Oppenheimer Diamond, one of the largest gem-quality uncut diamonds in the world.
The Orlov, an Indian mogul cut rumored to have served as the eye of a Hindu statue.
The Paragon Diamond
The Polar Star Diamond, a colorless cushion-shaped stellar brilliant diamond weighing 41.28 carats.
The Porter Rhodes Diamond, a colorless 53-carat Asscher-cut stone.
The Portuguese Diamond, 127-carat antique emerald cut with a pale yellow body color and very strong blue fluorescence. Part of the Smithsonian's collection.
The Premier Rose Diamond, 137.02-carat (27.4 g) stone cut from a 353.9-carat (70.8 g) rough gem of the same name
The Pumpkin Diamond, perhaps the largest Fancy Vivid Orange. 5.54 carats, modified cushion-shaped brilliant.
The Red Cross Diamond, 205 carats, yellow, cushion-shaped stellar brilliant cut.
The Shah Diamond, very old yellow diamond (found approximately in 1450 in India) currently housed in the Diamond Fund in Kremlin
The Star of the East, a 95-carat (19 g) stone once owned by Mrs. Evalyn McLean of Washington DC, who also owned the Hope Diamond.
The Steinmetz Pink Diamond, modified oval brilliant cut (step cut crown, brilliant pavilion), largest known Fancy Vivid Pink.
The Uncle Sam Diamond, the largest discovered in the US, emerald-cut, M color (pale brown), VVS2 clarity.
The Wittelsbach Diamond, 35.52 carats, Fancy Deep Grayish Blue, antique oval stellar brilliant cut. Sold at Christie's, London, December 10, 2008 for $23.4 million, currently the highest price ever paid for a diamond at auction.

Engagement Ring History in the United States

Engagement Ring History in the United States

Thimbles were practical alternatives to engagement rings.The Puritans who helped colonize the United States refused to wear most jewelry, including wedding and engagement rings, because such baubles were considered ostentatious and frivolous. Instead, a betrothed couple would exchange a thimble – a practical item a young woman could use as she sewed linens and clothing for her dowry. After the wedding, the thimble’s cup was often cut off (symbolizing that her dowry was complete), and the rim could be worn as a ring.
Non-diamond engagement rings have been popular throughout most of the United States’ history because of their lower expense and easier availability: this was especially critical during westward expansion and pioneer days when any ring was costly. During the 1920s, art deco designs were particularly popular because of their modern symmetry and flashy color contrasts, while smaller rings and more elaborate filigree designs were popular during the Great Depression because of their affordability. During World War II, at the same time many men began wearing wedding rings, platinum rings were prohibited (the metal being necessary for military uses), and many more gold and silver rings were designed.

The First Diamond Engagement Ring

The First Diamond Engagement Ring

The first recorded diamond engagement ring was given to Mary of Burgundy by her betrothed, Archduke Maximillian of Austria, in 1477. Few details are known about the ring itself, but diamonds were considered at the time to have magical powers relative to love, purity, and fidelity – the same characteristics they symbolize today.
In the late 19th century, extensive diamond deposits were discovered in Africa, effectively making the gems more widely available and cheaper for the general public to purchase. Because of the sudden abundance of diamonds, designs became more elaborate and intricate, and more brides-to-be began to receive diamond engagement rings.

History Of The Engagement Ring

The history of the engagement ring is more about myth and fantasy than actual fact until you enter the 20th Century when a marked turn of events shapes public opinion beyond all doubt. Today almost everyone's interpretation of the engagement ring is something along these lines: "A symbol of ever lasting purity, love, devotion and commitment between two people". But where did it all start?
The earliest surviving records have shown that Archduke Maximillian of Hamburg may have started the trend among the European wealthy and royalty of giving diamond engagement rings in 1477 by giving Mary of Burgundy a diamond betrothal ring.
What happened before 1477? Was there such a thing as an engagement ring and if so were they set with diamonds?

Pre - History

Lets go back to our ancestors, "prehistoric man" who are supposed to have tied the woman's arms and legs together so she could not escape. It wasn't an attempt at deviant sexual acts, but it wasn't the most flattering way to show how you care either!
Eventually the "bride's" legs would have been released and if she made no attempt to run away then she would just have worn a tied cord with a trailing end around one of her little fingers.
It's certainly an interesting theory ahem!...
Ancient History

The ancient Roman's called their engagement ring the betrothal (Truth) ring. The Romans were the first to wear the ring on the third finger of the left hand.
This surviving tradition seems to stem from the Egyptian belief that the vein from this finger leads straight to the heart. It's thought that the Romans were the first to start inscribing or engraving their rings.
The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages and the Gimmal or "bond" ring was invented, but it's doubtful that this was an engagement ring design. However, sapphires, emeralds and rubies would have been the norm for those who could afford them.
Because diamond is the hardest and strongest mineral on earth it was seen to resist fire and steel and thus symbolize the unbending union of a man and woman in wedlock. So it became more commonplace for the European super wealthy and royalty to give a diamond engagement ring at this time.
Less wealthy citizens would have given a Fede (faith) ring in the form of two clasped hands more akin to the more modern claddagh (clasped hands) engagement rings.
The 18th Century

Diamonds became more readily available when diamonds were discovered in Brazil. Diamond cluster engagement rings were fashionable among the wealthy.
The 19th Century

In South Africa 1870, the vast, newly discovered Kimberley diamond region began to flood the market with not so rare a gem after all! The supply increased whilst the prices fell.
Within 10 years the now famous De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. was formed by the Englishman Cecil John Rhodes to control the sale of diamonds throughout the world. Even today they control 65% of the world's diamond trade.
At this time during the history of the engagement ring, the diamond rush gave rise to the notion that the various birthstones were seen to be a rarity (and more desirable) compared to the diamond.
Elaborate engagement rings of sapphire, emerald and rubies (and other precious gems) with diamond accents were therefore more commonplace among those with appropriate wealth.
The 20th Century

From 1880 De Beers were able to control the supply (and price) of diamonds but how were they going to control demand during a period when sales began dropping dramatically (up to 50%) in the 20s and 30s onwards through the great depression?
Just as platinum started to become popular in diamond engagement rings, diamonds were becoming less valued. Platinum was banned for all but war use during WWII and so the platinum diamond engagement rings as we know them today almost died out.
The answer to the problem was a new marketing campaign commissioned by De Beers that began in 1947. Perhaps you've heard the slogan "A Diamond is forever"? This was to mark the beginning of a change in the history of the engagement ring.
Subsequent campaigns would convince families to hold on to their diamonds as family heirlooms... and it worked! Used diamonds were not being released back into the industry which in turn created the demand that De Beers were seeking.
Jewelers were unofficially educated by De Beers to instruct men that two to three months personal wages were an ideal price to pay for the diamond engagement ring that their prospective fiancée's would gladly accept.
In 1953 the world's two most glamorous women of the time Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell were the stars of the hit film musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
The plot involves Monroe and Russell chasing potential husbands on a cruise to France. The movie also features a very famous song sung by the blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe, Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend.
This film would have undoubtedly influenced public opinion at the time and will have advanced the popularity of diamonds for years afterwards through Hollywood glamour.
The film is now 50 years old but it's still a firm favorite of all who love Hollywood and the legend of Monroe. (Of course there are others: High Society, Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Diamonds Are Forever among them)
This is where the tradition of the diamond engagement ring really started, all from an advertising campaign that literally "rocked" the world! (Get it? "rocked".... okay I'll shut up!) So you see buying a diamond engagement ring isn't really a popular ancient tradition.
It's more a combination of "dreaming of being a princess", a clever marketing campaign and compelling Hollywood glamour that ultimately promotes diamonds as the only jewels with which to furnish your loved one as a sign of engagement.
The 21st Century

The history of the engagement ring has moved on and demand for diamonds and platinum diamond engagement rings is still rising. The tradition is here to stay. Estimated 78% of all engagement rings sold every year are diamond.

Some More By Colour

Green Diamonds

Green Diamonds

Fancy green diamonds are also available. Usually, penetration of the colour is not very deep and is often removed during the fashioning of the stone.
A limited quantity of fancy green diamonds is recovered from the Argyle mine.