Is this blue diamond shaped like Africa worth R715 million?
A rare gem discovered at South Africa’s Cullinan Mine has sparked pride among expats worldwide with its uncanny resemblance to the continent.
I’ve only bought one significant diamond in my life and that was in about March 2003. The nervous excitement was real.
My first stop was De Beers, and as a South African living in London, very new to London at the time, I bravely strolled into De Beers on Piccadilly and asked what options they had for an engagement ring.
It took about 30 seconds for me to realise I wasn’t welcome at such an establishment and I was way out of my league.
I retreated and called on a friend in Cape Town, Triggs Cavendish Square, for those that know it. And on my next visit to Cape Town I negotiated my future wife’s engagement ring.
A diamond shaped like home
That experience taught me that diamonds carry stories far beyond their carats and clarity. Which is why this week’s discovery from South Africa has resonated so deeply with expats around the world.
When miners at the legendary Cullinan Mine unearthed a 41.82-carat blue diamond on 14 January, nobody expected it to become an instant sensation.
But once photographs emerged, people couldn’t help but notice something extraordinary: the stone appears shaped remarkably like the African continent.
For South Africans far from home, it’s proved an unexpectedly poignant moment.
There’s something deeply symbolic about a rare treasure from beneath South African soil bearing the outline of Africa itself.
What makes it so valuable?
The discovery at the Cullinan Mine by its owner, London-based Petra Diamonds, represents the first blue diamond of this magnitude from the site in five years.
These Type IIb blue diamonds are among nature’s rarest treasures, accounting for less than 0.02% of all diamonds ever mined.
Record-breaking prices
The Cullinan Mine, located just 40 kilometres northeast of Pretoria, has built a legendary reputation for producing exceptional blues.
The mine’s previous record-breaker, a 39.34-carat blue discovered in April 2021, fetched a staggering $40.2 million (around R715 million, or £31 million).
Industry experts believe this new Africa-shaped find could command similar prices.
Petra Diamonds describes the stone as having “seemingly exceptional quality in terms of both its colour and clarity.” The company is currently analysing the gem and determining the best sales strategy.
A mine of legends
For South Africans everywhere, the Cullinan Mine holds special significance.
It’s the same site that yielded the 3 106-carat Cullinan Diamond in 1905, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered.
That stone was cut to create the Great Star of Africa and the Lesser Star of Africa, now residing in the British Crown Jewels.
The mine has produced over 750 stones exceeding 100 carats and roughly a quarter of all diamonds weighing more than 400 carats. It remains the world’s most important source of blue diamonds.
Twenty years on, I still hope that engagement ring I nervously negotiated in Cape Town remains priceless to my wife.
I’m fairly certain she wouldn’t swap it for this Africa-shaped marvel, no matter its value. But if she insisted on the trade, well, I might just find it in my heart to forgive her.