The Centenary

As long as the earth continues to produce carbon, the discovery of great diamonds will continue. Proof in point was the discovery of the Centenary diamond in 1988, which was announced on the eve of De Beers one-hundredth anniversary. In fact, it was during the banquet celebrating the company’s centennial mark that the discovery of the perfectly colored, 599-carat diamond was first announced to the public.

Of course, when it was found, it hardly resembled the perfect stone it is now known as. The diamond was discovered when De Beers’ laser equipment detected a large mass in one of the walls of its mines. The mass resembled an irregular matchbox whose largest flat surface was concave. To complicate matters, the planes of this stone were angular and there was a horn protruding from the top. In order to bring this mass to life as a polished diamond, a master cutter had to be found. The irregular shape of the rough stone meant that only the most skilled craftsman would be able to reveal the diamond’s inner beauty without ruining the stone completely.

De Beers commissioned Gabi Tolkowsky, one of the world’s most renowned stone cutters. His first decision had to be where and how to cut. He finally decided that, in spite of its unusual proportions, he would cut it as one single, large diamond. This decision was not an easy one for Tolkowsky because he knew that beyond the aesthetic choice came the daunting challenge of actually cutting the stone.

When later asked about his work on the Centenary, Tolkowsky described himself as being taken over by the diamond. There was not a crevice of the stone that he did not know intimately. Tolkowsky did not want to use saws or lasers to cut the Centenary because he was afraid the heat and vibrations would disrupt the stone’s clarity. So instead, he opted for the time-honored method of kerfing (cutting) by hand.

One hundred and fifty-four days later, Tolkowsy had removed fifty carats of the magnificent stone. What remained of the original “matchbox” stone was a 520-carat diamond. Once the polishing was complete, this amazing gem weighed 273 carats. While “The Great Star of Africa” and “The Lesser Star of Africa” diamonds actually surpass it in size, the Centenary holds the distinction as the largest modern-cut diamond in the world.