Diamonds are April’s best friend: see the coolest diamonds ever
It is officially the month of the diamonds. They say, April showers bring May flowers. The relentless rainy season of April, and the expected beauty to grow from it, can only be represented by the formation of the diamond. For those lucky enough to be born in April, jewellers have decided that the diamond is April’s birthstone.
‘Tis the season for the bling, and what better way to celebrate, than by looking at record-breaking diamonds.
Largest diamond
In a list of brilliant diamonds, the obvious first choice, is mentioning the largest diamond ever! The Cullinan diamond, at an outstanding 3,106-carats (621 grams ;1.37 lbs), has held the title for largest diamond since 1905. The Cullinan is roughly the size of an avocado. At its longest point, it measures to be 10.5cm (4.1 in). The diamond was found at the Premier Mine (South Africa) and was gifted to British monarch, Edward VII.
With more gems than he knew what to do with, the diamond was cut into 106 different stones. Edward VII said the “great and unique” diamond would be preserved “among the historic jewels which form the heirlooms of the Crown.”
Two of the largest stones, cut from the diamond, play key roles in the British monarchy. Cullinan I or ‘The Great Star of Africa,’ is placed on the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross. This Sceptre is ceremonially used at the British monarch’s coronation. The Imperial State Crown also has Cullinan II placed in the centre of the jewels.
First 100% diamond ring
Choosing a diamond ring can be tricky. Between the cut of the gem and the band size, where do you even begin? On 8 March 2012, Shawish Jewellers (Switzerland) crafted a ring made entirely from a 150-carat diamond. Using special lasers to cut into the stone, these jewellers reenvisioned the idea of a diamond ring. For $70 million, the wearable gemstone could be yours.
Mohamed Shawesh, President of Shawish Jewellery, told Vogue: "It seemed impossible, so we decided to embark on the adventure of creating it. To create the perfect diamond ring is the epitome of art."
Read more stories about record-breaking achievements in our Science and Technology section.
Most diamonds set on a handbag
Hong Kong based jewellers took bedazzling to a whole other level. Coronet® set 8,543 black diamonds and 1,345 colourless diamonds on a Coca-Cola-Shaped bag. The bag was inspired by famous bag designer Judith Leiber’s creations.
In total, the bag had 9,888 pieces of natural diamonds. The creative process took over 100 days, by 15 different craftsmen, to get the gems placed perfectly. Their final creation weighed 120 carats. The glittery bag was unveiled at the Baselworld 2018 jewellery show in Switzerland.
Most expensive diamond sold at auction
At a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong, on 4 April 2017, the CTF Pink Star sold for $71.2 m (£57.3 m). The unique pink colour of the diamond and its internally flawless grading by the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA), attracted many wealthy buyers.
Now set on a ring, the gem measures 2.69 cm by 2.06 cm (1.06 in by 0.81 in). Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (China), a chain of jewellery stores, walked away with the precious stone. Originally, the diamond had the names Steinmetz Pink and Pink Star. However, after it came into the possession of the jewellery enterprise, they changed the name in remembrance of the founder’s father, Dr Cheng Yu-Tung.
Largest diamond heist
Photo by Rock Staar on Unsplash
With the high price tag of these precious jewels, naturally people will do whatever it takes to get their hands on them. In February 2003, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (Belgium) was robbed by a group of Italian thieves. In this Ocean's Eleven-style heist, the thieves were able to walk away with $100 m (£82 m) in diamonds. The thieves leader, Leonardo Notarbartolo, was eventually caught and sentenced to 10 years in prison; however, the stolen diamonds were never recovered.
The diamond centre had a particularly locked-down security system. Leonardo’s heist resembles something only seen in films. The diamonds were located inside a vault that was protected by 10 layers of security, including cameras, infrared sensors, radar, and a 100-million-combination lock. Leonardo learned the flaws of the system by renting an office in the centre for over two years. With this intensive planning, one thing is certain: Leonardo was bejewelled by the riches of the diamond.
Largest diamond mine
Photo by Matthew de Livera on Unsplash
In order to obtain these precious gems, diamond miners must go deep into the structure of the Earth to find the crystals that were created over a billion years ago. The locations of sediments containing diamonds are rare to come by, so the world’s largest diamond mine is essential for supplying April’s stone.
The Orapa Diamond Mine (Botswana) covers 1.18 km2 (0.5 m2) of land, which makes it the largest mine by area. By depth, the mine has been dug 305 metres (1,000 ft) down. This open pit mine is responsible for producing 10 million carats worth of diamonds per year.
The reason for the mine's success is because the site sits on top of two kimberlite pipes. These are volcanic structures that erupted 200 million years ago and were responsible for bringing diamonds to the Earth's surface.
As Marylin Monroe once said, "diamonds are a girls best friend." In this rainy month, let's take inspiration from the stone that represents April.
Header image: Antonio Rosales Hernández from Pixabay