On January 26, 1905, during a routine inspection of the
Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa, a superintendent
made a  glittering discovery: a 3,106-carat diamond.

Weighing 1.33 pounds, and christened the “Cullinan,”
it was the largest diamond ever found.

Superintendent Frederick Wells was 18 feet below the
earth’s surface when he spotted a flash of starlight
embedded in the wall just above him. His discovery
was presented that same afternoon to Sir Thomas
Cullinan, who owned the mine.

Cullinan then sold the diamond to the Transvaal
provincial government, which presented the stone
to Britain’s King Edward VII as a birthday gift.

Sir Thomas Cullinan
(1862 – 1936)