World’s five most valuable diamonds

Golden Jubilee Diamond

At 545.7 carats, this is the largest cut diamond in the world. Graded as a ‘fancy yellow-brown’ colour, it was presented to the King of Thailand in 1997 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his coronation. Thailand was experiencing economic difficulties at the time so, to avoid accusations of extravagance, the government referred to this stone as a large ‘golden topaz’.

Cullinan II (aka The Lesser Star of Africa)

Weighing 317.4 carats, this is the third largest polished diamond in the world. It was cut from the Cullinan diamond, the largest rough diamond ever found, which was discovered in South Africa in 1905. It is now part of the British crown jewels, forming part of the Imperial State Crown.

The Millenium Star

In 2000, De Beers and the Steinmetze Group put the ‘Millenium Star’ on display at the Millennium Dome in London. Within months, this 203.4 carat, flawless D-colour diamond was the target of a daring attempted robbery. Police seized the villains, which is lucky since the diamond had an insured value of no less than one hundred million pounds (USD 205,000,000). This valuation may well be an under-estimate.

The Star of the Season

In May 1995, a 100.1 carat pear-shaped diamond went on sale in Switzerland. The stone was free of internal flaws, and its colour was graded ‘D’, or perfect white. It was bought by Sheikh Ahmed Fitaihi for a world record sixteen and a half million dollars (£8,073,000).

Cullinan I (aka The Great Star of Africa)

Discovered in South Africa in 1905, The Great Star of Africa is the largest polished stone to be cut from the legendary Cullinan Diamond. Weighing 530.2 carats, it is now on display in the Tower of London, where it is mounted in the Crown Jewels at the head of the sceptre. It is literally impossible to put a value on it.