The 100-year anniversary of De Beers Consolidated Mines coincided with the fortuitous discovery of an extraordinary diamond rough. At its centennial banquet, the De Beers chairman announced the recovery of " a diamond of 599 carats which is perfect in color- indeed, it is one of the largest top color diamonds ever found. Naturally, it will be called the 'Centenary Diamond.' "
The Centenary diamond was found at South Africa's Premier Mine on July 17,1986. It took Gabi Tolkowsky three years to transform the stone into the largest modern-cut flawless diamond. The Centenary has 75 facets on top, 89 on the bottom and 83 on the girdle, for a total of 247. The amazing result was achieved using a combination of some of the oldest cutting methods and the most sophisticated technology.
The 'Centenary' diamond weights 273.85 carats, and is set into the British Crown Jewels. The 'Centenary' diamond was presented at the Tower of London in 1991, where it is on permanent display.
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