The largest clear-cut diamond was found in South Africa and it belongs to Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II is believed to own something exceedingly valuable from South Africa…
No, it is not land. Although the royal family could possibly own land on the African Continent, Queen Elizabeth owns a rare diamond mined in South Africa over 100 years ago.
The 530 carats gem was named “The Great Star of Africa” also known as the Cullinan. The latest SUV offering from British automobile maker Rolls Royce was named after the gem mined back in 1905 in South Africa with an estimated value of $400 Million. Both the SUV and the diamond are named
after Thomas Cullinan who was the chairman of the mining company which discovered the colossal diamond.
‘The Great Star of Africa’ is the second diamond discovered in South Africa to make headlines in recent weeks after singer and businesswoman Beyoncé wore a 128 carats yellow diamond in a Tiffany & Co advertisement discovered in Kimberly in 1877.
‘The Great Star of Africa,’ was presented as a gift to King Edward VII of the United Kingdom as a goodwill gift following the second Boer War. The Cullinan was cut into nine big pieces and is now the property of the queen of England.
The Cape Town Shimansky Company, which provides private guided tours at the Cape Town Diamond Museum gives South Africans a chance to learn about the rich mineral history of the country. Nadia Buchanan who is a salesperson and a private tour guide at the museum says the half an hour tour through the diamond museum situated at the Clock Tower
District, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront will take anyone’s breath away.
“We have replicas of the actual diamonds discovered here in South Africa. The real diamonds are privately owned. Like the Cullinan is the property of the queen of England and it was discovered in Pretoria,” said Buchanan.
You can view diamond pieces manufactured for the Shimansky Company during the tour.
Buchanan adds: “All of our sales representatives are highly trained to give private tours and you need to book in advance on our website or by calling us.”