The famed 55 ct. Kimberley Diamond is making its first public appearance at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City this month.
The stone, which is on loan from the Bruce F. Stuart Trust, will be on display in the Morgan Memorial Hall of Gems through at least June 2014, a museum spokeswoman says.
The Kimberley Diamond
The 55.08-ct. champagne-colored gem, described by the exhibit’s curator as “virtually flawless,” is historically important because it was found in the 19th century at the Kimberley Mine in South Africa, also known as “the Big Hole,” one of the first diamond mines of the modern era.
The Kimberley Diamond was discovered as a 490 ct. crystal, and it was cut into a 70 ct. gem in 1921. The stone was given its present emerald cut in 1958 to improve its brilliancy, according to the museum.
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