The Largest Diamonds Found in BRICS Countries

South African Cullinan is considered the world’s biggest diamond. It’s no joke – 3106.75 carats, more than half a kilogram. It was found in the Premier Mine at the beginning of the 20th century and named after the South African diamond magnate.

South African Cullinan Diamond

The Cullinan, or Star of Africa, diamond found in 1905 was broken into 105 parts: the existing cracks made it impossible to use it as one stone. The largest facetted splinter of this diamond was named Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa (530.2 carats – 106.1 grams). It decorates the scepter of England’s King Edward VII, and is now on display in the Tower of London. Other large parts of the diamond were also embedded in jewelry for monarchical persons all over the world.

However, according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, in 2007, another huge diamond was found in Africa, and it broke the record of the well-known Cullinan. It is twice as big: nearly 7 thousand carats, or about one and a half kilograms. According to some reports, the diamond was brought to an armored storage in Johannesburg in strict confidence. Since then, nothing has been heard about the treasure anywhere.

The biggest diamond found in India is The Great Mogul. It was lifted from the mines of Golconda in 1650.



Great Mogul Diamond

The initial size of the diamond was 787 carats. In the 17th century, faceting of the Indian giant was entrusted to the Venetian Hortenzio Borgia who turned it into a rose-shaped 279-carat diamond. The story of the Great Mogul sounds like a fairy tale, in 1747 tracks of this diamond rose were lost. But some people think that the well-known diamonds Koh-i-Noor or Orlov were made from it. The Russian and Soviet mineralogist Alexander Fersman claimed that, after all, the Orlov is the refacetted Great Mogul. The scientist based his conclusions on discrepancy of weights, and the imperfection of the old measuring system.

The 726.6-carat Vargas Diamond found in Brazil and called in honor of the President of Brazil Getúlio Vargas, is one of the largest ever mined diamonds. It was found in 1938 near the Santo Antônio River, in the State of Minas Gerais. At that time, it was estimated at 600 thousand dollars.



The Vargas Diamond

26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Diamond is considered to be the biggest Russian diamond weighing 342.5 carats, mined at the Mir kimberlitic pipe in 1980. The color of the diamond is fancy lemon yellow. It was named in honor of one of congresses of the Communist Party. The stone is stored in the Diamond Fund, being the largest diamond of its collection.

26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Diamond

The second largest Russian diamond Alexander Pushkin was found in 1989. The third place is taken by the 298.48 carat stone named "The Creator". It was found in late July, 2004 in Sakha (Yakutia) mines.



Alexander Pushkin Diamond