Famous Diamonds

The Excelsior Diamond

The Excelsior In 1893, a worker in the Jagersfontein Mine discovered a diamond in the truck in a pile of gravel. He kept the stone until he was able to provide it to his manager. This diamond was largest stone discovered in the world until the Cullinan I diamond was found. It is now the second largest stone found.

The diamond weighed approximately 971 3/4 carats and had a high-clarity, blue-white tint. It had an irregular shape and was cut into 21 stones, with the largest being a marquise that weighed approximately 69.80 carats. A smaller, 18-carat marquise stone cut from the Excelsior was displayed at the 1939 World's Fair by De Beers. View More