On January 25, 1905, during a routine inspection of the Premier
Mine in Pretoria, South Africa, a mine superintendent made a
littering 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.
The Cullinan was later cut into nine large stones and about
100 smaller ones, valued at millions of dollars all told.
The open pit of the Premier Mine, where the Cullinan
Diamond was unearthed, about 40 kilometers east of
Pretoria, South Africa.
