The greatest diamonds in the world

The greatness of certain diamond is primarily measured by its size and fame. Some diamonds, especially big diamonds, are more famous than other smaller diamonds. If I would have to draw up a list of the greatest diamonds in the world this would certainly include Star of The Africa, Koh-I-Noor, Orloff, Great Mogul, The Centenary, The Blue Hope and the Dresden Green.

Star of the Africa diamond is sometimes also referred to as Cullinan 1. This diamond still holds the record as the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found, at 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g). There are several different anecdotes connected with this diamond, among which is also the one of famous diamond cutter Asscher who had a doctor and nurse standing by and when he finally cut the diamond and it broke perfectly in two, he fainted dead away. This diamond was discovered in the mines of South Africa.

Koh-I-Noor is truly a beautiful diamond, after all its name translated from Persian means "Mountain of Light". This large diamond comes from India and was discovered in the early ancient years. The anecdotes connected to this diamond include the theory that Koh-I-Noor diamond was originally part of the Great Mogul and also that it also carries a curse and only when in the possession of a woman will the curse not work.

Orloff (Orlov) diamond has also its origin in India though this large diamond today resides in Russia. At one time in history this diamond was given to the famous Russian Queen Catherine II by her lover Grigori Orloff and that's how this diamond got its name. The Orloff diamond is special because it retains its original Indian rose-style cut. It weighs around 190 carats.

The Great Mogul diamond as the name suggest is indeed a great diamond. This large diamond also has its origin in India. In its original state this diamond weighed astonishing 787 carats and was given as a gift to Shah Jehan, builder of the famous Taj Mahal.

The Centenary diamond still doesn't have very rich history because it has been discovered in 1986 in South Africa's Premier Mine. This diamond is internally and externally flawless and weighs 273.85 carats and has a remarkable 247 facets. The current owner of this great diamond is unknown as in 2008 this gem has been sold to an unknown buyer.

The Blue Hope. Every list of the greatest and the most famous diamonds includes The Blue Hope diamond. This is probably because this diamond has the reputation of being the most cursed among world's famous diamonds. This diamond is not that large as some of its famous brothers by weighing 45.52 carats but its fame and legends connected to it certainly make it enormously big. After all only Mona Lisa gets more visits than this mystery diamond. Its current residence is Smithsonian, Washington.

Dresden Green is certainly the good way to finish the story about world's greatest diamonds. Though this diamond has a weight of "only" 41 carats it is nonetheless one of the most important diamond discoveries in the world. Its special character comes from its unique green color and this diamond is being used to compare natural versus lab-produced green diamonds.