The Millennium Star Diamond

A 203 carat diamond is more like a paper weight than anything you can actually wear. The Millennium Star Diamond is the largest flawless pear-shaped diamond, it was 777 carats in the rough, making it the 6th largest diamond ever found. It was discovered in the early 1990's in then Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo and purchased by De Beers, for an undisclosed amount. The cutting process took intense years of planning, including having over 200 models made in order to calculate where and how it should be cut to get the optimum shine, beauty and weight. The final cut that resulted in the Millennium Star which gave it a pear shape with 54 facets. Mr. Harry Oppenheimer, the former Chairman of De Beers, who has been in the diamond business for more than 70 years, said, "It is the most beautiful diamond I have ever seen." Pretty remarkable coming from someone of his stature. An attempt was made to steal it from the Millennium Dome in London in 2000.