Woyie River diamond
| Weight | 770 carats (154 g) |
|---|---|
| Color | D-flawless |
| Country of origin | Sierra Leone |
| Discovered | 1945 |
The Woyie River diamond was recovered on 6 January 1945 from the Woyie River near Koidu in eastern Sierra Leone.[1] The uncut stone weighed 770 carats (154 g), and at that time it was the largest alluvial diamond ever found, and the third largest diamond discovered in Africa, after the Cullinan Diamond and the Excelsior Diamond. The alluvial Star of Sierra Leone, discovered at the Diminco mine in Sierra Leone in 1970, is larger at 968.9 carats (193.78 g) uncut.[2][3]
The uncut Woyie River diamond had a broadly lozenge shape, measuring 71 × 53 × 32 millimetres (2.8 × 2.1 × 1.3 in), with one unusually flat cleavage plane. The rough diamond was brought to London, where it was viewed by Queen Mary in October 1947 and then exhibited at the British Industries Fair in May 1949. The stone was cut by diamond cutters Briefel and Lemer in London (who also cut the Williamson pink diamond) into 30 gems weighing 282.36 carats (56.472 g) in total, including 10 of over 20 carats (4.0 g) each. The largest of the gems is the Victory Diamond which is weighs 31.35 carats (6.270 g) and is Emerald cut (occasionally described as "step cut").[2][3]
Victory Diamond
[edit]The Victory Diamond is described by a GIA report as "D Colour, VVS2 Clarity, Type IIa". The gemstone was acquired by Frank Jay Gould, son of railroad tycoon Jay Gould, for his third wife Florence (née La Caze) and sold after her death in 1983. It was sold again at Sotheby's in Geneva in 2014,[4][5] and was up for sale at Sotheby's in New York in 2015[6] but it was sold that same year by Christie's for $4,309,000.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "2008 Mineral Yearbook - Sierra Leone" (PDF). USGS. September 2010. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ a b "The Victory Diamond". Sotheby's. 2014-05-13. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10.
- ^ a b "(#504) The Victory Diamond 凱旋之星". Sothebys.com. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ "The story of the Victory Diamond up for auction in Geneva". BBC News. 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ Berchmin, Jean-Jacques (2014-05-03). "Genève : chez Sotheby's, trois diamants qui valent… de l'or". www.ledauphine.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ Moh, Catharina (2015-04-21). "Flawless 100 carat diamond for sale". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ "31.34-carat Victory Diamond ring sells for $4,309,000 at Christie's". Diamond World. 2015-12-12. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
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