Cullinan Diamond in British Crown Jewels: History

The Largest Diamond Ever Found

On 26 January 1905, a mine superintendent named Frederick Wells was making his routine inspection of the Premier Mine near Pretoria, South Africa, when he noticed something extraordinary glinting in the wall of the mine: a massive crystal, partially exposed by recent digging, that turned out to be the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered. The stone weighed 3,106.75 carats — roughly the size of a man's fist — and was named the Cullinan Diamond after Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine.

The discovery of the Cullinan Diamond set in motion a chain of events that would produce some of the most spectacular gemstones in the world — stones that now occupy the most prominent positions in the British Crown Jewels and represent the pinnacle of diamond cutting achievement in human history.

The Gift to King Edward VII

The Cullinan Diamond was purchased by the Transvaal government in 1907 and presented to King Edward VII as a birthday gift — a gesture of reconciliation following the bitter Boer War (1899–1902), in which Britain had fought to control the Transvaal and Orange Free State. The gift was controversial: some members of the British Parliament questioned whether it was appropriate to accept such a valuable gift from a colonial government, while others saw it as a welcome symbol of post-war reconciliation.

Edward VII accepted the gift and entrusted the cutting of the stone to the Asscher Diamond Company of Amsterdam — then the world's leading diamond cutters. The task of cleaving and cutting the world's largest diamond was one of the most technically demanding challenges in the history of gemology.

The Cutting: A Moment of Extraordinary Tension

The cutting of the Cullinan Diamond was entrusted to Joseph Asscher, head of the Asscher Diamond Company. After months of study and preparation — examining the stone's crystal structure, planning the cuts, and making practice cuts on glass models — Asscher made the first cleave on 10 February 1908.

The moment was one of extraordinary tension. A mistake — a miscalculation of the stone's internal structure, an imperfection in the cleaving blade — could shatter the world's most valuable diamond into worthless fragments. Asscher reportedly fainted after making the first successful cleave, overcome by the release of tension after months of preparation. (Some accounts suggest this story is apocryphal, but it captures the drama of the moment.)

The cutting process ultimately produced nine major stones, 96 smaller brilliants, and approximately 9.5 carats of unpolished fragments. The nine major stones were numbered Cullinan I through IX, with Cullinan I and II being by far the largest and most significant.

Cullinan I: The Great Star of Africa

Cullinan I — the Great Star of Africa — is a pear-shaped brilliant weighing 530.2 carats, making it the largest colorless cut diamond in the world. Its dimensions are extraordinary: approximately 58.9 mm long, 45.4 mm wide, and 27.7 mm deep. It has 74 facets and displays the exceptional clarity and colorlessness that characterize the finest diamonds from the Premier Mine.

Cullinan I is set in the head of the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross, where it can be detached and worn as a brooch or pendant. Its position in the sceptre — the symbol of royal power and justice — makes it the most symbolically significant diamond in the collection. When the sovereign holds the sceptre during the coronation ceremony, they hold the world's largest cut diamond in their hand.

In crystal healing, a diamond of this size and quality would be understood as an extraordinary amplifier of energy — a stone capable of magnifying the sovereign's intentions and projecting them with extraordinary force. The Great Star of Africa is, in this sense, the ultimate crystal healing tool — a diamond so large and pure that its energetic field would be felt throughout the coronation ceremony and beyond.

Cullinan II: The Second Star of Africa

Cullinan II — the Second Star of Africa — is a cushion-shaped brilliant weighing 317.4 carats, making it the second-largest colorless cut diamond in the world. It is set in the front band of the Imperial State Crown, where it is the most prominent stone in the crown's lower section.

Cullinan II's cushion shape and its position in the crown's band give it a different visual character from Cullinan I's pear shape. Where Cullinan I is dynamic and directional — its pear shape pointing forward like an arrow — Cullinan II is stable and grounding, its cushion shape spreading its light evenly in all directions. Together, the two stones represent complementary aspects of royal power: the directed force of justice (Cullinan I in the sceptre) and the stable foundation of authority (Cullinan II in the crown).

The Remaining Cullinan Stones

The seven remaining major Cullinan stones (III through IX) range from 94.4 carats (Cullinan III) to 4.39 carats (Cullinan IX). Cullinan III and IV were set as a brooch for Queen Mary and are now part of the personal royal collection. Cullinan V through IX are set in various brooches and pendants that have been worn by members of the royal family over the decades.

The 96 smaller brilliants cut from the Cullinan rough were distributed among the Asscher family (as partial payment for their cutting work) and various members of the royal family. Some of these smaller stones have appeared at auction over the years, providing collectors with the opportunity to own a piece of the world's most famous diamond.

The Cullinan's Healing Legacy

The Cullinan Diamond's journey — from a South African mine to the hands of a Dutch diamond cutter to the British Crown Jewels — is one of the most extraordinary stories in the history of precious stones. Its nine major stones, distributed between the Crown Jewels and the personal royal collection, represent the largest single contribution of diamond material to any royal collection in history.

For crystal healing practitioners, the Cullinan stones represent the ultimate expression of diamond energy — clarity, amplification, invincibility, and divine connection — at a scale that is almost impossible to comprehend. The Great Star of Africa, held in the sovereign's hand during the coronation ceremony, is a crystal healing tool of extraordinary power — a stone whose energetic field encompasses not just the individual wearer but the entire ceremony and, through it, the nation.