What is the worlds largest diamond?
The world’s largest diamond on record is the 3,106-carat Cullinan, found in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was eventually cut into nine large stones and about 100 smaller ones. The two largest, called the Star of Africa I and II, are on display in the Tower of London. Why are diamonds so expensive? They are rare – period. Only a few diamonds survived the violent eruptions that brought the billion-year-old stones within our reach. Estimates show that only 500 tons have been mined throughout history. To add to their rarity, only 50 percent of mined diamonds are gem-quality. Even fewer are big enough to be polished into diamonds not much bigger than the head of a match. What is the difference between a synthetic diamond and a simulant? Synthetic diamonds are real and simulants are fake. Lab-created, or synthetic, diamonds have the same chemical composition, brilliance, hardness and atomic structure as natural stones. Scientists can grow diamonds in a matter of days by recreating the s
