The Millennium Star

The Millennium Star is the 10th largest diamond in the world. It weights 203.04 carats and is a D-color flawless pear-shaped diamond with a total of 54 facets. The diamond was found in the Mbuji-Mayi district of Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1990 and as a rough stone it weighted 777 carats. It took 5 months of studying and planning the cutting of the stone and the conclusion was that it must be cleaved into three pieces.

The Millennium Star glowing

Clearly, the Millennium Star is the result of faceting and polishing the largest piece from the rough diamond. The value of the stone hasn’t been revealed but it is said that the 100 million English pounds which served to insure the Millennium Star was insured was just a fraction of its true worth.

The Millennium Star

To mark the year 2000 and to celebrate the new millennium, De Beers and the Steinmetz Group put together the most valuable set of diamonds ever. The most impressive of this collection was the Millennium Star, the second largest faceted D-Flawless diamond after the Centenary Diamond.

The Millennium Star and other diamonds

French actress Sophie Marceau presented the Millennium Star during an impressive ceremony at the top floor of the CSO’s Charterhouse Street complex in London. The general press focused on the displayed 11 highly rare blue diamonds cut into a variety of shapes, on Sophie Marceau and on the Millennium Star, the attractions of the show.

The Millennium Star in Sophie Marceau hands

Tags: biggest diamonds, carat, De Beers, diamond, expensive, Millennium Star Diamond, rarities, top 10