About the Discovery and History of the Cullinian Diamond

The major event of gem history in the year 1908 was the cutting at Amsterdam of the great Cullinan diamond, destined to become the brightest jewel in the British crown. In this connection it may be here mentioned that said crown was already of great weight-thirty-nine ounces and five pennyweights-a handicap that His Majesty King Edward VII probably does not relish on the rare state occasions when he must submit to having it rest upon his head, as, for example, when it becomes his annual royal duty and prerogative to formally open Parliament. The crown, which usually rests in the Tower of London, contained, prior to additions from the Cullinan Diamond, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen diamonds and two hundred and ninety-seven pearls, besides many other rare and exquisite jewels. Before its eclipse by the Cullinan Diamond, the chief gem ornamenting the crown was a ruby, valued according to an estimate at about $500,000; this famous gem is the one presented to the Black Prince by Spain, in the year 1367, and was worn by Henry V in his helmet at the battle of Agincourt.

The royal regalia are safely deposited in a chamber of the Wakefield Tower in the Tower of London. The valuable addition resulting from the partitions of the Cullinan Diamond added nothing to the precautions against theft which previously existed. The crown jewels are thoroughly lighted and guarded by night and by day, never, for an instant, being exempt from the scrutiny of armed and uniformed sentries. The jewels are kept in a glass case within a double cage of steel, and cleaned semi-annually under the supervision of high officers of the British realm. The Cullinan Diamonds were on November 1, 1908, delivered to their Majesties, King Edward and Queen Alexandra, at Windsor Castle by Mr. Joseph Asscher of the Amsterdam firm which successfully cut the famous stone. Two secret service men of the Holland government, accompanied by several Scotland Yard detectives, guarded Mr. Asscher's every movement against the possible attacks of thieves. In the following month the Cullinans were conveyed to the Tower by a closely guarded royal messenger in a motor car, and placed with the regalia beside a model of the Kohinoor. Since then the British public and visitors from all parts of the world have curiously viewed the famous gems.

There was disappointment among the diamond cutters and in the gem trade in England when it was decided to send the Cullinan Diamond to Amsterdam to be cut; the great distinction was conferred upon the house of J. Asscher & Co., of Amsterdam and Paris, whose "fabriek," or factory is in the Tulp Straat or "Tol-straat," as it is sometimes written, of Holland's capital. The stone was delivered to the Amsterdam firm in January, 1908, where for nine months it was kept in the vault, of which the walls of concrete and steel are over two feet thick. On February 10th the stone was split by Mr. Joseph Asscher under the supervision of Messrs. M. J. Levy & Nephews, precious stone experts, retained to additionally assure the best scientific methods in the operations in which so vast a sum in values was involved. The stone was first cleft in two pieces by Mr. Asscher in such a way that a defective spot in the diamond was exactly in the centre, leaving a part of it on each piece of the stone. Subsequently the larger of these two pieces was split.

The United States consul at Amsterdam, Mr. Henry H. Morgan, forwarded to Washington the best account of the splitting operation that the author has read. After emphasising the delicacy of the work Mr. Morgan described the making of an incision in the stone with a diamond-cutting saw at the point where the stone was to be cleaved and, following the line of cleavage, to a depth of nearly three quarters of an inch. Before the operator were crystal models, cleaved to represent the effect upon the diamond so far as could be indicated in such a manner. In the incision made by the diamond saw a specially made steel knife, comb shaped, without a handle, was inserted; then, while the supervisors and several members of the house of Asscher intently and breathlessly looked on, Mr. Asscher struck the blade on its back with a steel rod and, with the success of the operation still in doubt, all saw the steel knife break against the adamant; again the stroke and with a chorus of sighs of relief the diamond fell in two parts, divided exactly as the expert had planned. The two parts weighed, respectively, 1040 1/2 carats and 1977 1/2 carats. The larger piece was successfully divided late in February, after which the grinding and polishing continued until November. The London Times on November 10, 1908, published the first authentic description of the finished Cullinan Diamonds as follows:

In the original state the Cullinan Diamond weighed 3253 3/4 English carats, or over 1 1/3 pounds avoirdupois. It is now divided as follows: (1) a pendeloque or drop brilliant, weighing 516 1/2 carats, dimensions, 2.322 inches long and 1.791 inches broad; (2) a square brilliant, weighing 309 3/18 carats, 1.771 inches long by 1.594 broad; (3) a pendeloque, weighing 92 carats; (4) a square brilliant, 62 carats; (5) a heart-shaped brilliant, 18 3/8 carats; (6) a marquise brilliant, 11 1/4 carats; (7) a marquise brilliant, 8 9/16 carats; (8) a square brilliant, 6 5/8 carats; (9) a pendeloque, 4 9/32 carats; (10) 96 brilliants, weighing 7 3/8 carats; and (11) a quantity of unpolished "ends," weighing 9 carats.

The first and second of these stones are by far the largest in existence. Even the second is much bigger than the largest previously known brilliant, viz., the Jubilee, weighing 239 carats, while beside either of them so famous a jewel as the Kohinoor sinks into comparative insignificance, since its weight, 102 3/4 carats, is little more than one third of that of the smaller, or one fifth that of the larger. Moreover, the stones are not more distinguished for size than for quality. All of them, from the biggest to the smallest, are absolutely without flaw and of the finest extra blue-white colour existing.

As regards the two largest, an innovation was made in the manner of cutting. Normally a brilliant has 58 facets. In view, however, of the immense size of the two largest Cullinan brilliants, it was determined to have an increased number, and to give the first 74 facets and the second 66. This decision has been abundantly vindicated by the results, for the stones exhibit the most marvellous brilliancy that diamonds can show. This fact is all the more remarkable and satisfactory because very large brilliants are apt to be somewhat dull and deficient in fire.

This monumental diamond was found January 27, 1905, on the brink of the open workings of mine No. 2 of the new (Transvaal) Premier mines, near Pretoria, South Africa, by the manager of the mines, Mr. Frederick Wells, an old employee of the Kimberley mines. While making his rounds of inspection Mr. Wells's eye caught a gleam in some debris and, investigating, he perceived that it was undoubtedly a large diamond; placing his find in the pocket of his sack coat he took it to the company's office and its importance was quickly realised. The stone was weighed and found to register exactly 3253 3/4 carats. Immediately the news was transmitted by telegraph and cable to all parts of the world that the world's greatest diamond had been discovered. The stone was christened "The Cullinan Diamond" after Mr. T. N. Cullinan, the chairman of the Premier (Transvaal) Diamond Company. At the instance of Premier Botha, the Transvaal Assembly presented the great diamond to King Edward VII. in recognition of his granting a constitution to the Transvaal Colony. As stated, the diamond, rough, weighed 3253 3/4 carats, and measured four by two and one-half by one to two inches. The stone had four cleavage planes, which led experts to surmise that other pieces of the same stone are still in the mines. To one who was not familiar with diamonds the great diamond nearly resembled a piece of ice.

The occurrence of this stone is interesting because it was in a locality that many experts regarded as a place of meagre possibilities, as compared with the steadily producing mines at Kimberley. Diamonds had, indeed, been found in both the alluvial along the Vaal River and in alluvial and in pipes at Rietfontein, near Pretoria. The properties of the Transvaal Mining Company, now the Montrose, were discovered in 1898, as were also those of the Schuller Company; both producing diamonds in profitable quantity, although not comparably with the mines at Kimberley. The Premier (Transvaal) Diamond Mining Company was registered on December 1, 1902, with a capital of pound80,000, so that it had been in existence but about two years when it gave the world its record diamond. The Boer War interfered with the development of the mines in the Transvaal. During the year 1899 four companies were registered. After the occupation of the Transvaal by the British, forty-eight companies were registered in the years 1902 and 1903 with an aggregate capital of nearly pound2,000,000 sterling.

The new Premier mines are discussed by Mr. Gardner F. Williams in his The Diamond Mines of South Africa, in which he expresses doubt that the rich alluvial diggings which resulted from the open works initiated there betokened rich diamond bearing pipes of blue ground. Although the reports of the company showed a large total yield for the number of loads of ground sent to the washing machines, it is pointed out that the ground sent was sorted ground, while that upon which Kimberley statistics are based was not. Mr. Williams stated:

The average value of the diamonds per carat for eleven months was 27s. 4d. The quality of the diamonds in the Pretoria District is poor, the percentage of bort and rubbish being abnormally great. Valued on the same basis, diamonds from the Pretoria District are worth only about fifty-four per cent. of those from De Beers and Kimberley mines.