the Cullinan diamond
/ðə ˌkʌlɪnən ˈdaɪmənd/
/ðə ˌkʌlɪnən ˈdaɪmənd/
- the largest diamond ever found, weighing about 620 grams. It was named after Thomas Cullinan, the head of the Transvaal mine in which it was found in 1905. Two years later the Transvaal government bought it for one million dollars and presented it to King Edward VII. It was then cut into nine large stones and 96 small ones and used in the Crown Jewels.