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Diamonds are also sometimes found in 'fancy' colours: pink, blue, green,
yellow, brown, orange and, very rarely, red. These diamonds, called 'fancies'
are incredibly rare and valuable. These colours extend beyond the GIA colour
grading system.
Some famous coloured diamonds include the Heart of Eternity diamond and the De
Beers diamond.
For thousands of years diamonds have fascinated the world as a symbol of
beauty, power and inspiration. They have been collected and valued for their
unique brilliance and rarity.
The most prestigious diamonds are objects of desire that have touched human
passions throughout the centuries. Often the sacred possession of royalty,
these diamonds have romantic and adventurous histories.
The De Beers Millennium Star, considered by many to be the most beautiful
diamond in the world, was a magical 777 carats in the rough. Cut to 203.04
carats, it is the largest D colour (colourless), internally and externally
flawless, pear-shaped diamond in existence.
The De Beers Millennium Star
In the Mbuji-Mayi district of Zaire, a perfect rough diamond weighing a lucky
777 carats is discovered by an alluvial digger. He approaches a local De Beers
buyer, who immediately recognizes its extraordinary beauty.
Heart of Eternity
This 27.64 carat heart-shaped stone is renowned for the intensity of its color,
described by experts as "vivid blue".
The Heart of Eternity was one of 11 rare blue diamonds unveiled to the world in
January 2000 as part of a special collection of De Beers Millennium Jewels.
This collection, which also featured the famous Millennium Star, was gathered
by the De Beers Group over many years to celebrate the new millennium.
Centenary
As De Beers Consolidated Mines approached their 100th year of operations, a
diamond of 599 carats and perfect color was recovered from the company's famed
Premier Mine. The diamond was cut and polished over 2 years to yield 273.85
carats of internally flawless beauty. The resulting masterpiece, the Centenary
Diamond, was unveiled in 1991. With a total of 247 facets, 164 on the stone and
83 on the girdle, the Centenary is the largest modern cut diamond in the world.
Among top-color diamonds, the Centenary is surpassed in size by only the
Cullinan I and the Cullinan II, the 2 largest stones cut from the Cullinan.
These stones were cut before modern symmetrical cuts were fully developed to
maximize the brilliance of a diamond.
Star of South Africa
The Star of South Africa, a 47.69-carat flawless pear-shaped diamond, is
considered a symbol of South Africa's great diamond prosperity. Before its
discovery in 1869, only the countries of India and Brazil were considered to be
serious sources of diamonds and mineral wealth.
Legend has it that the Star of South Africa was exhibited at a session in
Parliament shortly after its discovery, causing the Colonial Secretary to
declare "This diamond, gentlemen, is the rock upon which the future prosperity
of South Africa will be built."
Incomparable
Weighing a massive 407.48 carats, the Incomparable is the third largest diamond
ever cut, surpassed only by the Cullinan I and the Golden Jubilee. The stone is
remarkable for its unusual triangular shape, called a "triolette", and its
fancy brownish-yellow color.
The Incomparable was discovered in the Mbuji Mayi district of the Democratic
Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire), almost a decade before the
Millennium Star was discovered in the same region.
De Beers Diamond
Shortly after the founding of De Beers Consolidated Mines in 1888, a
light-yellow diamond weighing 439.86 carats was recovered from the De Beers
mine. Over 200 carats of rough were removed from the stone to create a
beautiful light-yellow, cushion-cut diamond. At 234.65 carats, the De Beers
remains the seventh largest polished diamond in the world.
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