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The nine Cullinan diamonds are the result of a remarkable piece of rough
weighing 3106 carats found in the Premier Mine, South Africa, in 1905.
This stone was cut into nine major stones and 96 smaller stones. The
Cullinan I and II are a part of the British Crown Jewels. The Cullinans
III – IX actually belong to the Queen, and in some circles are referred
to as "Granny’s Chips."
Photographs of the Cullinans are fairly common, being reproduced all
over the Internet and in many books. Various weights given for the
stones are equally widespread. However, the dimensions are not reported
anywhere, not even among the staff at the Tower of London or Royal
Collections.
The dimensions used in creating my replicas originally came from a series of
articles by Tom Barbour published in the 1960’s in Lapidary Journal. These
have been proven wrong as the dimensions listed here came from the Crown
Jeweler and Asscher diaries. Barbour reported the dimensions of
his replicas, not the original stone, and these have been erroneously
propagated all over the Web.
Cullinan I
Up until a few years ago, The Cullinan I was the world’s largest diamond
at 530.20 carats. Now it is #2, behind the Golden Jubilee at 545.67
carats.
Erroneous information has been posted on the Web concerning the size of
the Cullinan I. Per the Collections Curator at the Natural History
Museum in London, and per the Crown Jeweler, the Cullinan I dimensions
are 58.9 x 45.4 x 27.7 mm. These are accurate
when modeled, and the L:W ratio is verified by the photos.
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