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The World's Largest Polished Diamonds

Golden Jubilee - 545.67 ct. - Cushion Shape- Yellow-brown -Crown Jewels of Thailand

Cullinan I - 530.20 ct. - Pear Shape - Colorless - BBritish Crown Jewels

Incomparable - 407.48 ct. - Pear Shape - Yellow - Diamond Dealer, USA

Cullinan II - 317.40 ct. - Cushion Cut - Colorless - British Crown Jewels

Great Mogul - 280.00 ct. - Rose Cut - Colorless - Unknown Location

Nizam - 277.00 ct. - Dome Cut - Colorless - Private Collection, India

Centenary -273.85 ct. - "Modern Fancy Cut" - Colorless - British Crown Jewels

Great Table - 250.00 ct. - Rectangular Cut - Pink - Unknown Location

Indien - 250.00 ct. - Pear Cut - Colorless - Unknown Location

Jubilee - 245.35 ct. - Cushion Cut - Colorless - Private Collection, France

De Beers - 234.50 ct. - Round - Yellow - Private Collection, India

Red Cross - 205.00 ct. - Square Cut - Yellow - Unknown Location

Ten of the World's Most Famous Diamonds

Throughout history, there have been many notable diamonds. Here are ten of the most famous:

Kohinoor ("Mountain of Light"): First mentioned in 1304, it weighed 108.93 carats and was an oval cut stone. It is once set in the famous peacock throne of Shah Jahan as one of the peacock's eyes. It is now among the British Crown Jewels and weighs 105.60 carats.

The Great Star of Africa: The largest stone cut from the Cullinan and now among the British Crown Jewels. It weighs 530.20 carats has 74 facets and is still the largest polished diamond in the world.

The Centenary Diamond: The Centenary Diamond discovered by the Premier Mines in July 1986. The 'Centenary' diamond weighed 599.10 carats in the rough. Together with a small select team, master-cutter Gabi Tolkowsky took almost three years to complete its transformation into the world's largest, most modern cut, top-color, flawless, diamond. Possessing 247 facets - 164 on the stone and 83 on its girdle - the aptly-named "Centenary' diamond weighs 273.85 carats, and is only surpassed in size by the 530.20 carat 'Great Star of Africa and the 317.40 carat 'Lesser Star of Africa', both of which are set into the British Crown Jewels. The 'Centenary' diamond was unveiled at the Tower of London in May 1991.

The Orloff: The Orloff is thought to have weighed about 300 carats when it was found. At one time, it was confused with the Great Mogul, and it is now held in the Diamond Treasury of Russia in Moscow. One tale told is that The Orloff was set as the "Eye of God" in the temple of Sri Rangen and was stolen by a French soldier disguised as a Hindu.

The Idol's Eye: A flattened pear shaped stone the size of a bantam's egg; its polished size is 70.20 carats. The stone is another famous diamond that was once set in the eye of an idol before it was stolen. Legend also has it that it was given as ransom for Princess Rasheetah by the Sheik of Kashmir to the Sultan of Turkey who had abducted her.

The Regent: A truly historic diamond that discovered in 1701 by an Indian slave near Golconda and it weighed 410 carats in the rough. Once owned by William Pitt, the English Prime Minister, it was cut into a cushion shaped brilliant of 140.50 carats and until it was sold to the Duke of Orleans, Regent of France when Louis XV was a boy in 1717 was called The Pitt. It was then renamed The Regent and set in the crown Louis XV wore at his coronation. After the French revolution, it was owned by Napoleon Bonaparte who set it in the hilt of his sword. It is now on display in the Louvre.

The Blue Hope: More notorious than any other diamond, The Hope was once owned by Louis XIV and was officially designated 'the Blue Diamond of the Crown'. The diamond was stolen during the French revolution, it turned up in London in 1830 and was bought by Henry Philip Hope after whom it is currently named. It was while the diamond was in the possession of the Hope family that it acquired its gruesome reputation for bad luck. All his family died in poverty. A similar misfortune befell a later owner, Mr. Edward McLean. It is now in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and weighs 45.52 carats.

The Sancy: The Sancy weight 55 carats and it was cut in a pear shape. It was first owned by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, who lost it in battle in 1477. The stone is in fact named after a later owner, Seigneur de Sancy, a French Ambassador to Turkey in the late 16th century. He loaned it to the French king, Henry III who wore it in the cap with which he concealed his baldness. Henry IV of France also borrowed the stone from Sancy, but it was sold in 1664 to “James I” of England. In 1688, James II, last of the Stuart kings of England, fled with it to Paris. It disappeared during the French revolution.

The Taylor-Burton: This pear-shaped 69.42 carat diamond was sold at auction in 1969 with the understanding that it could be named by the buyer. Cartier of New York successfully bid for it and immediately christened it "Cartier". However, the next day Richard Burton bought the stone for Elizabeth Taylor for an undisclosed sum, renaming it the "Taylor-Burton". It made its debut at a charity ball in Monaco in mid November where Miss Taylor wore it as a pendant. In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor announced that she was putting it up for sale and planned to use part of the proceeds to build a hospital in Botswana. Just to inspect the diamond, prospective buyers had to pay $2,500 to cover the cost of showing it. In June 1979, it was sold for nearly $3m and was last reported to be in Saudi Arabia.

Hortensia: This peach colored stone of 2O carats was named after Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland, who was Josephine's daughter and the step- daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Hortensia had been part of the French Crown jewels since Louis XIV bought it. Along with the Regent, it is now on display in the Louvre, Paris.