Included in Petra’s mine portfolio are both the Cullinan (South Africa) and Williamson (Tanzania) mines – the source of the Cullinan diamonds and the Williamson Pink Diamond. These diamonds are going on display at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the Queen’s diamond jubilee from 30 June 2012 until 07 October 2012. For more information, please see:
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/exhibitions/summer-opening-of-buckingham-palace-diamonds-a-jubilee-celebration
Cullinan has produced a quarter of all the world’s diamonds of over 400 carats, 125 stones of over 200 carats and 745 stones of over 100 carats.
The historic Cullinan Diamond is the largest diamond ever recovered, found in 1905, weighing 3,106 carats. It has since been cut into the Greater (530 carats) and Lesser Star of Africa (317 carats) and set into The Sovereign’s Sceptre and The Imperial State Crown respectively.
The Williamson Pink is considered the finest pink diamond ever discovered. It was found in October 1947 weighing 54 carats in the rough. The mine, then owned by the Canadian geologist and royalist Dr John Williamson, gave the diamond to Princess Elizabeth in 1947 as a wedding present. It was cut into a 23 carat round brilliant and set as the centre of a brooch in the form of a jonquil flower, designed and set by Cartier in 1953 (below).
Williamson diamond mine is the world’s largest economic kimberlite by surface area at 146 hectares in size. It is a historic source of high value Type II diamonds and fancy pinks.
Queen Elizabeth II wearing the 23ct Williamson Pink brooch