Millenium Star

The Millennium Star is one of De Beers most famous diamond. At 203.04 carats, the world's second largest known top colour (D), “Internally” and “Externally Flawless”, pear-shaped diamond. In the early to mid nineties De Beers purchased it during the height of the country's Civil War. It took over three years for the workers at the Steinmetz Diamond Group to produce the classic pear shape. The actual cutting was done using lasers not by the traditional method, by hand.

The Millennium Star was the centre piece in October 1999 as part of the De Beers Millennium Jewels collection. The collection also includes eleven blue diamonds totaling 118 carats, including the Heart of Eternity. They were displayed at London’s Millennium Dome from 1999 to 2000. There was an attempt on 7 November 2000 to steal the whole collection, but the Metropolitan Police discovered the plot and arrested the robbers before their escape.