254 



SYSTEJVIATIC DESCRIPTION OF PRECIOUS STONES 



Fig-. 51. Largest known diamond, the 

 "Excelsior," weight 971f carats. From 

 the Jagersfontein mine in South Africa. 

 (Actual size.) 



an irregular octahedron, is shown in its actual size in Fig. 49. A very beautiful colourless 

 brilliant of 180 carats was cut from it, which is variously known as the Victoria, 



" Imperial," or " Great White," and is valued at 

 .^200,000. 



The largest brilliant, the genuineness of which is 

 unquestionable, is one of 288^ carats, which was cut 

 from a stone of 428J carats found on March 28, 1880> 

 in the De Beers mine. This was yellowish in colour 

 and had the form of a fairly regular octahedron, the 

 outline of which is shown in Fig. 50 in its actual size. 

 In the direction of its longest axis it measured If inches. 

 Another large diamond, which weighed in the rough 

 655 carats, was found in the Jagersfontein mine at the 

 end of the year 1895. 



The largest of all known diamonds is the Excel- 

 sior, afterwards called the "' Jubilee," in honour of the 

 celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the accession 

 of Queen Victoria. The rough stone is represented in 

 its actual size and form in Fig. 51. It came from 

 the Jagersfontein mine in Orange River Colony, and 

 weighed 971 f carats, measuring 2^ inches in length, 

 2 inches in breadth, and 1 inch in thickness, thus surpassing 

 in size even the " Great Mogul," which in its rough condition 

 is supposed to have weighed 787J carats. It was found 

 on June 30, 1893, by a Kaffir, who received as a reward ^£"500 

 in money and a horse equipped with saddle and bridle. It is 

 said that an agreement existed between the mine-owners and 

 certain diamond merchants by which the latter were to pm-chase 

 every stone found in the mine during a certain period at a 

 uniform price per carat. This period ended on June 30, and 

 the " Excelsior " was one of the last stones to be found on that 

 day, so that the mine-owners instead of the merchants came very 

 near to profiting by this lucky find. The stone is of a beautiful 

 blue-white colour and of the purest water, and has been valued 

 by diffei-ent experts at amounts which vary between ^£'50,000 

 and £1,000,000 ; the latter value, however, seems somewhat 

 prohibitive. The rough stone, though of such perfection 

 of colour, lustre, and water, had a black spot near the centre 

 of its mass which had to be removed by cleaving the stone 

 in two. From the larger portion was cut an absolutely perfect 

 brilliant weighing 239 international carats of 205 milligrams, 

 and measuring If inches in length, If in breadth, and 1 inch 

 in depth. 



The orange-yellow Tiffany Brilliant, now in the posses- 

 sion of the Tiffany Company of New York, is also a Cape 

 diamond. It is one of the finest of yellow diamonds, and at 

 the present time is the largest brilliant in America, weighing 125 J carats. The form 

 of the stone can be seen in Fig. 52 in its actual size. 



Fig. 52. The " Tiffany Bril- 

 liant," 125J carats. (Actual 

 size.) 



