Legendary & Crown Jewel Diamonds

Part of the Famous Rare Diamonds series. Where a diamond's origin rests on tradition rather than documents, we say so: an Indian "Golconda" origin is usually inferred from history and a stone's character, not proven by a laboratory.

The Hope Diamond — 45.52 Carats

The world's most famous blue diamond is known as much for its story as for its size. Its color comes from trace boron, the signature of Type IIb diamonds, and after exposure to ultraviolet light it glows red for a short time. By tradition it came from India's Golconda region; it is generally accepted to have been cut from the Tavernier Blue, which Jean-Baptiste Tavernier sold to Louis XIV of France in 1668. The GIA grades it Fancy Dark Grayish-Blue.

Stolen during the French Revolution, it resurfaced in London in 1812 and later passed to the Hope family, Evalyn Walsh McLean and Harry Winston, who gave it to the Smithsonian in 1958 — famously sending it by registered mail. Much of the "curse" legend is thought to have been embellished in the early 1900s, not least by people selling the stone. It remains one of the most visited objects in the National Gem Collection.

The Hope Diamond · 45.52 ct

The Koh-i-Noor — 105.6 Carats

No diamond carries more political weight. The name means "Mountain of Light" in Persian. Its first reliable written record dates from Nader Shah's sack of Delhi in 1739, when it was taken along with the Mughal Peacock Throne; Golconda origin is tradition. It passed through Afghan and Sikh rulers before the British East India Company took it after the annexation of the Punjab in 1849.

At Prince Albert's direction it was recut in 1852 from about 186 carats to 105.6 carats, now an oval brilliant. It was set in the crowns of Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. It was left out of Queen Camilla's crown at the 2023 coronation, a choice widely seen as reflecting diplomatic sensitivity — India, Pakistan and Afghanistan have all claimed it. Its diamond type has never been published from laboratory testing.

The Koh-i-Noor · 105.6 ct

The Regent Diamond — 140.64 Carats

Often described as one of the most beautiful diamonds in the world. Found around 1698 at the Kollur mine in the Golconda region as a rough of about 410 carats, it was bought by Thomas Pitt, Governor of Madras, cut in London into a cushion, and sold in 1717 to Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, Regent of France. It was set in Louis XV's coronation crown and later in Napoleon's sword. Stolen in the 1792 theft of the French Crown Jewels, it was recovered the following year. Today it is displayed in the Galerie d'Apollon at the Louvre.

The Regent Diamond · 140.64 ct

The Sancy Diamond — 55.23 Carats

The Sancy has one of the longest ownership chains of any diamond. Its shield-shaped double rose cut — facets on both sides, with no pavilion in the modern sense — long predates the modern brilliant (see how cutting evolved in our Old Mine cut guide). Its documented history begins with Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy, in the late 16th century; an earlier link to Charles the Bold of Burgundy is tradition. It later belonged to English and French kings, the Russian Demidov family and the Astors before France bought it for the Louvre in 1978.

The Sancy Diamond · 55.23 ct

The Cullinan Diamond — 3,106.75 Carats (Rough)

Found in 1905 at the Premier Mine in South Africa, the Cullinan is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever recovered. The Transvaal government bought it and presented it to King Edward VII in 1907, and in 1908 Joseph Asscher of Amsterdam cleaved it. The often-told story that his first blow broke the blade is part of the stone's legend.

It yielded nine major stones and 96 smaller brilliants. Cullinan I, the Great Star of Africa (530.2 carats, a pear shape), is set in the Sovereign's Sceptre; Cullinan II (317.4 carats) is in the Imperial State Crown. Cullinan I is widely cited as the largest colorless polished diamond in the world.

The nine major Cullinan stones

The Wittelsbach-Graff — 31.06 Carats

Its recorded history begins at the 17th-century Spanish court, where it formed part of a royal dowry. It passed to the House of Wittelsbach in the 18th century and was among the Bavarian crown jewels until the 20th century. Laurence Graff bought it at Christie's London in 2008 for about $24.3 million and had it recut from 35.56 to 31.06 carats; the GIA then graded it Fancy Deep Blue, Internally Flawless. Many historians objected to altering a historic stone. The sale is covered in Part I — Auction Records.

The Wittelsbach-Graff · 31.06 ct

The Golden Jubilee — 545.67 Carats

At 545.67 carats, the Golden Jubilee is the largest faceted diamond in the world, larger even than Cullinan I. Found in 1985 at the Premier Mine as a 755.5-carat rough, it was long known simply as the "Unnamed Brown." De Beers asked Gabi Tolkowsky to cut it, partly to test the tools and techniques later used on the Centenary Diamond. It was presented to King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand to mark the 50th anniversary of his reign.

The Golden Jubilee · 545.67 ct

The Dresden Green — 41 Carats

Widely described as the largest natural green diamond known. Its color comes from natural radiation exposure in the earth — a different cause from the boron in blues or the crystal distortion behind most pinks (see the science of diamond color). Where it was mined is not known. Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, bought it in 1742, and it was later set in an 18th-century hat clasp surrounded by smaller diamonds. It has been part of Dresden's Green Vault collection for nearly three centuries, and was on loan in New York when the Green Vault was robbed in 2019.

The Dresden Green Diamond

The Dresden Green, hat clasp setting

The Centenary Diamond — 273.85 Carats

Cut from a 599-carat rough found at the Premier Mine in 1986, and named for De Beers' centenary. Gabi Tolkowsky and his team spent nearly three years turning it into a 273.85-carat modified heart with 247 facets, which the GIA graded D color, Flawless. When it was unveiled in 1991, De Beers described it as the largest top-color, flawless, modern-cut diamond in the world. Its current owner has not been made public.

The Centenary Diamond · 273.85 ct

The Taylor-Burton Diamond — 69.42 Carats

Cut by Harry Winston from a rough of about 241 carats, this 69.42-carat pear was bought at auction by Cartier in 1969 for $1.05 million and sold the next day to Richard Burton for Elizabeth Taylor. She first wore it in public at Princess Grace of Monaco's 40th birthday celebrations. Taylor sold it in 1978 and is reported to have used part of the proceeds to help fund a hospital in Botswana.

The Taylor-Burton Diamond · 69.42 ct

The De Beers Millennium Star — 203.04 Carats

One of the largest D-color flawless diamonds known, cut from a 777-carat rough found in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Cutting it took more than three years. In November 2000, while it was on display at London's Millennium Dome, a gang drove an excavator through the building to steal it. Police had the gang under surveillance and were waiting inside — and De Beers had already replaced the diamonds on display with replicas.

The De Beers Millennium Star · 203.04 ct

History You Can Verify

With historic stones, the paperwork is the story. For a diamond you own or are considering, provenance starts with a current laboratory report — see how grading laboratories compare and our authentication and appraisal service.

Sources: Smithsonian Institution (Hope); Royal Collection Trust (Koh-i-Noor, Cullinan); Louvre (Regent, Sancy); Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden Green); GIA; De Beers.