The Cullinan mine in South Africa is well known for expelling some of history's most impressive diamonds, including the largest gem-quality diamond ever found, the 3,106.75-carat Cullinan diamond discovered in 1905. On September 24th 2009, on South Africa's Heritage Day, another major discovery was made at the mine.
On permanent display in the visitor center at Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park, the site where this splendid stone was discovered, the Strawn-Wagner Diamond is the most perfect diamond the American Gem Society (AGS) ever certified in its laboratory.
Flawless is the top grade in the GIA Clarity Grading System. Diamonds graded Flawless don't have visible inclusions or blemishes when examined under 10-power (10X) magnification by a skilled and experienced grader.
Red diamonds are the rarest and some of the most expensive in the world. Also known as Fancy Reds, they come in a variety of shades ranging from orange-red to brownish red.
Fancy black diamonds and Carbonados are both extremely rare. Only one in 10,000 natural diamonds are colored diamonds and only a portion of these colored diamonds are black. Because of their scarcity, natural black diamonds and Carbonados are the some of the most valuable and most costly.
The British Royal Crown is the owner of the most costly diamond in the world. The Kohinoor gem is currently on exhibit as the main diamond of the Queen Mother's Crown at the HM Tower of London.
Today, the largest finished diamond is owned by the Royal Family of Thailand.
1. ROUND BRILLIANT DIAMOND. By far the most popular cut is the Round Brilliant, with it's fifty-seven perfectly aligned facets it's brilliance really does out-shine the others. Total internal reflection is the key here; light travels through the stone giving optimum sparkle and scintillation.
1. Kohinoor- Priceless. The most expensive diamond in the world, the Kohinoor has been given a priceless status due to its uniqueness and brilliance. The diamond is 105.6 carats and is placed right on top of the UK sovereign's crown.
The Hope Diamond
Arguably the most famous and most cursed precious gemstone in history, this 45.52-carat sparkler has a long and storied past. The Hope Diamond has been blamed for a laundry list of tragedies, including but not limited to: beatings, stabbings, murder, insanity, and suicide.
For the most part, the hardest to find are coloured diamonds. According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), these include blue, green, orange, yellow, brown and red. Rarity is particularly true of red diamonds. Naturally red diamonds are highly unusual and only a select number of them have ever been sold.
Moissanite has unparalleled sparkle! It has a higher refractive index than diamond, resulting in greater brilliance than diamond. Moissanite also has greater dispersion (fire) than a diamond, so you will notice more rainbow flashes of light.
Round brilliant cut diamonds are easily the most expensive diamond shape. In part, that's because round is the most popular diamond shape. More than half of all the diamonds sold today are round diamonds. This incredible popularity means that diamond miners and retailers can charge more for such an in-demand shape.
On top of this, there's Kim's 20-carat engagement ring worth a staggering $3million, making it one of the most expensive celebrity engagement rings of all time.
From its inception in 1888 until the start of the 21st century, De Beers controlled 80% to 85% of rough diamond distribution and was considered a monopoly.
According to data gathered and analyzed by Learn Bonds, three countries alone control at least 80.6 percent of all the world's diamond reserves globally namely Russia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Botswana. In total, the known global diamond reserves stand at about 1.1 billion carats, the study said.
Of the main stones, Cullinan I, is still the largest polished white diamond in the world, weighing 530.20 carats and is positioned on top of the Sovereign's Sceptre, while Cullinan II, which weighs 317.40 carats, is set at the front of the Imperial State Crown.
Thanks to a stockpile of the world's rough diamond supply, indelible marketing schemes and even negotiations with foreign governments for their diamonds, De Beers — owned by the Oppenheimer family since the 1920s — has been the most important name in one of the world's most lucrative businesses for almost a century.
The Winston Legacy
Known throughout the industry and across the globe as the “King of Diamonds,” Mr. Winston built his legacy as the purveyor of the world's most exceptional jewels. The story of the House of Harry Winston is best told through its incredible portfolio of diamonds, which continues today.
There are many gems that are more valuable than diamonds. Emeralds, sapphires, rubies, garnets, and alexandrite, just to name a few.
Tanzanite is a shocking 1000 times more rare than a diamond. Discovered for the first time in 1967 and only found in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, these gemstones go for about $1,500 per carat. Tanzanite has the ability to change color depending on the angle of light it is in.
Purple diamonds are so rare that the most common question asked about purple diamonds on Google is whether or not they exist. Yes, purple diamonds do exist! But treated and lab-grown purple diamonds are very much more common than natural purple diamonds.
Painite : Not just the rarest gemstone, but also the rarest mineral on earth, Painite holds the Guinness World Record for it. After its discovery in the year 1951, there existed only 2 specimens of Painite for the next many decades. By the year 2004, there were less than 2 dozens known gemstones.
Moissanites or white sapphires are most comparable to a diamond. While there are visible differences, these gems will look the closest to a diamond while offering a more affordable price. These stones are also high on the Mohs scale of relative hardness, making them suitable for everyday wear.