The biggest diamonds ever found

Seven of the world’s ten largest cut diamonds were carved from giant gem stones found right here in South Africa.

Late 2015, Lucara Diamond Corp uncovered a 1,111 carat gem quality, Type IIa diamond, in Botswana – the biggest gem found in over a century.

The stone measures 65mm x 56mm x 40mm in size and is the largest ever to be recovered in Botswana.

Once cut, the diamond will undoubtedly join the ranks of some of the biggest diamonds ever dug up.

The world’s largest cut diamond is the Golden Jubilee – an amber coloured gem discovered in South Africa in 1985. The diamond weighs 545.67 carats – and outweighs the world’s second largest gem, The Cullinan I, by over 15 carats.

Before being cut, the Cullinan Diamond (known as the Star of Africa) weighed 3,106.75 carats – and holds the title of the world’s largest uncut diamond.

After being ‘gifted’ to the King of England, it was cut into 105 diamonds, including the Cullinan I and II, which are two of the largest cut diamonds in the world and make up part of the British Royal Crown Jewels.

DreamModels.dk, a Danish blog about jewelry and beauty, researched information about diamonds and produced this infographic showing the 10 biggest diamonds ever found (Page is in Danish).

Notably, seven of the world’s ten largest diamonds were found right here in South Africa – with two coming from the Congo, and one from the Central African Republic.