Russia's Largest Diamond to Be Auctioned... What Is the World's Biggest Diamond?

Alrosa to Auction Diamond Over 100 Carats
Is the World's Largest Diamond the "Cullinan" or the "Sewelo"?

The largest diamond in Russian history is set to go up for auction.

On May 3 (local time), TASS news agency reported, citing Aisen Nikolaev, head of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, that "Alrosa will auction the largest diamond ever found in Russia, named 'New Sun'." The specific date of the auction has not been disclosed.

Alrosa is the world's largest diamond mining company. It primarily mines diamonds in the Sakha Republic and Arkhangelsk.

This company is state-owned, with the Russian government holding a 33.03% stake. The European Union (EU) and other Western countries are enforcing sanctions to block the distribution of "blood diamonds" produced in conflict regions, and Alrosa is among the sanctioned entities.

Nikolaev explained that this diamond weighs over 100 carats and displays a vivid yellow hue, which is a rare color.

The photo is not directly related to the content of the article. Pixabay

Meanwhile, the largest diamond ever discovered in the world was the Cullinan diamond, found in a South African mine in 1905. Weighing 3,106 carats and similar in size to a human heart, this diamond was named after Thomas Cullinan, the mine's operator.

According to the Royal Collection Trust, a foundation of the British royal family, the Cullinan diamond became royal property when the South African government gifted it to King Edward VII of the United Kingdom for his 66th birthday in 1907.

Afterward, the royal family sent the rough diamond to a Dutch polishing company, where it was cut into nine large pieces and 96 smaller fragments. Edward VII named the largest piece (530 carats) "the Great Star of Africa" and had it set in the royal scepter. The second-largest piece (314 carats) was named "the Smaller Star of Africa" and used in the crown's decoration.

Since the Cullinan diamond was divided into two main stones, the title of largest rough diamond currently belongs to the "Sewelo" diamond, which was mined by the Canadian company Lucara at the Karowe mine in Botswana, Africa, in 2020. The Sewelo diamond weighs 1,785 carats and was purchased that year by the French fashion group Louis Vuitton.