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Millennium Star
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Millennium Star | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 203.04 carats (40.608 g) | ||
| Color | Grade D Colorless | ||
| Cut | Pear | ||
| Country of origin | Zaire | ||
| Mine of origin | unknown | ||
| Date discovered | 1990 | ||
| Cut by | Steinmetz Group | ||
| Original owner | unknown | ||
| Current owner | De Beers | ||
| Estimated value | unknown | ||
The De Beers Millennium Star is, at 203.04 carat (40.608 g), the world's largest top color (D), internally and externally flawless, pear-shaped diamond.
The diamond was discovered in the Mbuji-Mayi district of Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1990 in alluvial deposits; uncut it was 777 carat (155.4 g). It was purchased by De Beers. It took over three years for workers of the Steinmetz Diamond Group to produce the classic pear form; the actual cutting was done using lasers.
It was first displayed in October 1999 as the centerpiece of the De Beers Millennium diamond collection. The collection also includes eleven blue diamonds totaling 118 carats (23.6 g) and The Heart of Eternity. They were displayed at London’s Millennium Dome over 2000. There was an attempt on November 7, 2000 to steal the collection. Crime journalist Kris Hollington wrote a book about the attempted theft called Diamond Geezers (ISBN 1843171228) which also features a detailed history of the Millennium Star.
The largest cut white (D) diamond by weight is the 1991 heart-shaped 273.85 carat (54.77 g) Centenary Diamond.
- The term "Millennium Star" was also used to name the ultimate prize in the Nintendo game Mario Party 3.