For gemologists, the biggest diamonds in the world aren’t just portable pieces of extreme wealthโtheyโre like windows into the Earth’s deeper mantle.
These are known as โCLIPPIRโ diamonds. The acronym stands for โCullinan-like, Large, Inclusion-Poor, Pure, Irregular, and Resorbed.โ These raw gems come from depths of 224 to 466 miles (yep, miles!) beneath the Earth, carrying messages in the form of mineral inclusions from deep below the rigid tectonic plates to the surface, like dazzling messengers from a crazy deep coal mine.
For most of us, though, these remarkable stones are jaw-dropping for more obvious reasons: their massive size and their almost priceless value.
Whatโs even more fascinating than their sheer size and worth is that big diamonds are being found more often these days. The jewelry trade publication JCK put it simply: โItโs because technology has made it easier to locate them.โ
Here, weโre showcasing the 10 largest diamonds ever discovered, listed in descending order. Not all are CLIPPIRs, but theyโre all incredibly impressiveโuntil, of course, something even bigger is found.
1. The Cullinan Diamond: A 3,106-Carat Marvel
Let’s talk about the Cullinan Diamond, tipping the scales at a whopping 3,106 carats. This isn’t just any diamond; it’s the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered. It was unearthed on January 26, 1905, at the Premier No. 2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa. The diamond got its name from Thomas Cullinan, who was the chairman of the mining company back then.
This gem is celebrated for its stunning blue-white color and incredible clarity. The Asscher family of Amsterdam, who were the top diamond cutters of their time, took on the monumental task of cutting the stone. The process wasn’t just a walk in the park. It was more like a Herculean effort.
The Royal Collection Trust, which looks after Britainโs Royal Collection (including the Crown Jewels where pieces of the Cullinan reside), gives us a glimpse into the intense process on their website. They share that preparing the groove for the cleaving knife alone took four days.
And get thisโthe first blow broke the knife, not the diamond! For the next eight months, three dedicated men worked 14 hours a day to transform the original diamond into nine large stones. Each of these stones was numbered I to IX, a naming convention that persists to this day. They also produced 97 small brilliants and some unpolished fragments from the original diamond.
So, the Cullinan Diamond isnโt just a gem; it’s a piece of history shaped by sheer perseverance and skill.
2. The Louis Vuitton Sewelรด Diamond, 1,758 Carats
Can you believe it? The Sewelรด Diamond, weighing in at a whopping 1,758 carats, is the second-largest rough diamond ever found! It was discovered at the Karowe mine in Botswanaโyes, the Karowe mine strikes again!
What’s even more impressive is that this tennis-ball-sized gem was recovered completely intact. Lucara credits this to their cutting-edge XRT technology, which allows them to extract diamond-bearing rock without crushing it.
Now, let’s talk about this beauty. The Sewelรด, which means “rare find” in Setswana (Botswana’s native language), is a “near gem quality” diamond with areas of high-quality white gem. It’s got this fascinating thin layer of black carbon that gives it a unique and captivating sheen.
In 2020, Louis Vuitton snagged this incredible diamond for an undisclosed amount. They’re teaming up with Lucara and the HB Company of Antwerp to study the Sewelรด and figure out how to maximize the yield of polished diamonds from it. Louis Vuitton also plans to offer their clients the chance to create custom, bespoke diamonds from this extraordinary stone.
3. Diamond from Karowe, Botswana, 1,175 Carats
Imagine finding a diamond this massive! In 2021, Lucara struck goldโor should I say diamondโagain, unearthing a stunning 1,174.76-carat gem. This happened less than a week after they discovered another colossal 1,098-carat diamond.
Thanks to their cutting-edge X-ray technology, which stops these giant gems from being crushed during excavation, Lucara proudly announced in June 2021 that they had unearthed 17 diamonds over 100 carats. And get thisโfive of those were over 300 carats!
4. Lesedi La Rona, 1,109 Carats
Back in November 2015, the Karowe mine delivered a jaw-dropper: a 1,109-carat rough diamond, soon to be named Lesedi La Rona, meaning “our light” in Setwana. Fast forward two years, and this incredible gem hit the headlines again when Graff Diamonds scooped it up for a cool $53 million, or $47,777 per carat.
After an intense 18-month cutting process handled in-house, the Graff Lesedi La Rona emerged weighing 302.37 carats. This made it the largest, highest-color, and highest-clarity diamond ever certified by the GIA, and it also earned the title of the worldโs largest square emerald cut diamond.
5. Diamond from Jwaneng, Botswana, 1,098 Carats
Jwaneng, which means โa place of small stonesโ in Setswana, is anything but small when it comes to value.
Known as the richest diamond mine in the world, Jwaneng made headlines in June 2021.
Thatโs when Debswana, a 50-50 partnership between De Beers and the government of Botswana, unearthed a massive 1,098.3-carat rough diamond of high gem quality.
This giant gem was a spectacular find, proving once again that Jwaneng is a place where big surprises can come from small stones.
6. Diamond from Karowe, Botswana, 1,080 Carats
Just last month, Lucara announced another incredible find at its Karowe mine: a whopping 1,080.1-carat diamond! And it’s a Type IIa, no less.
This gem marks the fourth diamond over 1,000 carats that the mine has produced since 2015. For more on the other massive finds, check out numbers 2, 3, and 4 on this list. Karowe sure knows how to deliver the big ones!
7. Diamond from Karowe, Botswana, 998 Carats
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Lucara Diamond Corp., a Canadian mining company, truly rules the world of big diamonds, thanks to its Karowe mine in Botswana. Nestled on the northern edge of the Kalahari Desert, the mine, whose name means “precious stone” in Setswana, began operations in 2012.
Since then, Karowe has consistently produced remarkable and exceptionally large Type IIa diamonds. A prime example is the 998-carat white diamond Lucara unearthed in November 2020. At the time, this stunning gem was the fifth-largest diamond ever discovered. Keep reading to find out which other massive rocks have since taken its place.
8. The Excelsior, 995 Carats
The Excelsior Diamond, weighing in at 995.20 carats, is a true relic from the 19th century and the only one from that era on this list. Discovered in South Africa in 1893, it was the largest diamond in the world for 12 years until the Cullinan came along and stole the title.
This massive stone was split into an impressive 21 gems, with the top 11 pieces named Excelsior I-XI.
In 1996, Robert Mouawad, the Lebanese businessman whose name adorns the Gemological Institute of America’s headquarters in Carlsbad, California, added the 69.68-carat pear-shaped Excelsior I to the Mouawad collection.
9. The Star of Sierra Leone, 969 Carats
In 1972, the 968.90-carat Star of Sierra Leone Diamond was discovered in the Koidu district of Sierra Leone. Harry Winston bought the rough gem for $2.3 million and had it divided into 17 smaller diamonds.
With the expertise of Lazare Kaplan’s cutters, the largest of the 13 flawless stones was shaped into a 53.96-carat pear-shaped diamond. Six of the original cuts were eventually set into the “Star of Sierra Leone” brooch.
10. The Lesotho Legend, 910 Carats
In the diamond world, earning a Type IIa designation is the ultimate bragging right. This classification signifies chemically pure diamonds with stunning clarity, often called โgems of the first waterโ in old gem trade lingo.
The 910-carat Lesotho Legend, discovered in Lesothoโs Letseng mine in 2018, embodies all of this and more. With perfect D color and exquisite crystallization, it’s no wonder Van Cleef & Arpels acquired this magnificent gem.
