Modern Era

On March 11, 1988, the Centenary celebration of the DeBeers Company was being held in Kimberly Western Australia, to commemorate the closing of the “Big Hole”, the Kimberly Mine. A speech was given to celebrate the day and to announce, surprisingly, the find of a 599 carat diamond of top color having been found in the Premier Mine in South Africa. Dignitaries and representatives from national governments and the diamond...

The Hope diamond currently in the Smithsonian Museum, weighs 45.52 carats, is VS1 in clarity and is a natural fancy deep grayish blue color. This fantastic stone has had a mysterious, ever changing and cursed history as described below. The first recorded finding of the diamond was in the late 1600’s when Jean Baptiste either stole the diamond from a slave he later murdered or it was purchased for an...

The Premier Rose diamond was found in March 1978 at the Premier mine in South Africa and weighs 137.02 carats. It was graded by the Gemological Institute of America as flawless, D color. Like the Niarchos diamond, it made its way thru the various stages of mining until the final step, the grease table in the recovery plant. The grease table is a conveyer belt with grease which attracts diamonds....

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had a passionate love affair which continued through two separate marriages. They fell in love during the filming of “Cleopatra” in 1960. They were recognized not only for their astonishing acting skills and their multiple marriages but for the diamond named after them, the Taylor Burton diamond weighing 69.42 carats. The original diamond rough was found at the Premier Mine in South Africa, also known...