Cullinan - From Rough to Polished Diamond

The Cullinan rough cleaved into 2 pieces

The Cullinan rough cleaved into 4 pieces







The Cullinan rough cleaved into the 9 largest pieces

Here is the excerpt from the Royal Asscher website http://www.asscher.nl/:

1907

The Cullinan diamond is discovered. At 3,106 carats it is a legendary find which achieves instant notoriety across the globe. The diamond is presented to Great Britain's King Edward VII, and he invites the Asscher brothers to London to discuss cleaving the diamond. It is decided that Joseph Asscher will cut the Cullinan into three parts, necessary because of the inclusions within the rough diamond.

1908

On a cold February day a noteable audience gathers to watch Joseph Asscher cleave the natural wonder. He needs to hit the Cullinan in exactly the right place... He strikes the diamond , but the blade breaks, not the stone. He dismisses all present and remarks that the largest diamond ever found seems to require significantly larger tools!

The following week, armed with new tools Joseph Asscher resumes his work, allowing nobody but the notary public in the room. Although later, urban legend recounts that Joseph Asscher faints after striking the diamond with a tremendous blow, in truth he remains entirely focused, demonstrating unprecedented expert force as he hits the Cullinan in exactly the right place, the stone, the stone is cleft according to his original calculations. He pauses, crouches to examine his work, then rushes into the next room and lets out a relieved cheer; the champagne corks pop. Later, the Cullinan diamonds are polished, ready to take pride of place in Great Britain's Crown Jewels.

The two largest pieces cut, The Greater and Lesser Star of Africa, were kept by King Edward VII and the rest was left with the Asscher Company as payment for cutting the diamond. Later, the Asscher Company sold the larger pieces to the Transvaal Government who in turn gave them to Queen Mary (the daughter-in-law of King Edward) as a sign of their devotion to the British Crown. She had the diamonds set in her own pieces of jewellery and bequeathed the 7 remaining original Cullinan diamonds to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

These are the final polished diamonds as originally cut by Joseph Asscher in 1907.

Photos courtesy of The Royal Collection website www.royalcollection.org.uk/eGallery/searchResults.asp?searchText=Cullinan