Is It Or Isn’t It? The World’s Largest Diamond

Unconfirmed reports are in from South Africa regarding the discovery of what may be the world’s largest diamond.

According to Brett Jolly, a shareholder in the small South African mining company that found the diamond, the stone is around 7,000 carats, twice the size of the world’s largest diamond - the Cullinan Diamond.

In 2000 police foiled a plan to steal the 203-ct. flawless pear-shaped Millennium Star diamond and 11 other rare blue diamonds, including the 27.64-ct. blue Heart of Eternity diamond from London’s Millennium Diamond. In a scene right out of the James Bond movie "The World is Not Enough," the robbers planned to make their getaway via a speedboat on the nearby Thames River. But police, acting on a tip given several weeks ago, had prepared for the theft and had officers stationed around the Millennium Dome dressed as members of the cleaning staff carrying weapons in their refuse bags. Some 100 officers lay in wait as a gang attempted to use a mechanical digger to steal the gems valued at £350 million. The robbers only managed to damage the glass display case, however, the police, had swapped the jewels for worthless copies

The Cullinan, the centerpiece of the British crown jewels, was discovered near Pretoria in 1905 and weighs about 3,000 carats. The unpolished Cullinan, also known as the Star of Africa, was 3,107 carats when De Beers found it in 1905. The cut stone now resides in the Tower of London, set in the sceptre of King Edward VII.

But industry experts are skeptical about the unconfirmed claim. In a photograph emailed to the BBC, the 'stone' appears to be about the size of a coconut, and has a greenish tinge.

But a spokesman for De Beers, the world's biggest diamond mining company, said the north-west province was not known for producing gems and greenish stones were even rarer.

Ernie Blom, chairman of the South African Diamond Council and president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, said from what he could see in the photograph the gem did have the characteristics of a diamond in terms of shape and color.

'It would be an extremely rare find. It would almost be like finding another Rembrandt,' he said. He said the stone would have to be certified by an expert.

Source : Jewelry.com.