Making history - The Cullinan Heritage

The Cullinan Heritage
The Cullinan Heritage

In September 2009, the Cullinan mine once again captivated the world with the recovery of an extraordinary white diamond weighing 507 carats.

This spectacular and historic gem was named the Cullinan Heritage to reflect the date of its recovery on Heritage Day in South Africa, as well as its origins from the illustrious Cullinan mine, which has produced the majority of the world’s most famous and important diamonds

After an extensive viewing process, with buyers travelling from around the world to South Africa to examine this exquisitely beautiful gem, the Cullinan Heritage was sold by Petra on tender in February 2010 for US$35.3 million, the highest sale price on record for a rough diamond. This remarkable result reflects the incredible rarity of the diamond, combining its exceptional size, colour and clarity.

The winning bidder for the Cullinan Heritage was Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Company Limited, the leading jewellery brand in China and Hong Kong, with annual sales in excess of US$4 billion. Chow Tai Fook is planning to capitalise on the opportunities available in the Chinese market due to the development of the domestic economy by doubling its retail outlets to over 2,000 by the end of 2020.

Dr Cheng Yu-Tung, Chairman of Chow Tai Fook Group, who is known as “The King of Diamonds” in the Far East, was delighted with the acquisition. “This spectacular and high-quality diamond is very rare and exceptional. Chow Tai Fook Jewellery’s repeated success in acquiring world-renowned diamonds is backed by Chow Tai Fook Group’s strength and endless pursuit of perfection in providing our customers with unique diamond pieces.”

The Cullinan Heritage has the potential to produce one of the world’s most important polished gems and its journey is currently being documented until its destiny will be revealed to the public.

The Cullinan mine has now produced four of the world’s top 20 largest high quality gem diamonds: The Cullinan (3,106 carats rough), The Golden Jubilee (755 carats rough), The Centenary (599 carats rough) and The Cullinan Heritage (507 carats rough). With a major total diamond resource of 203 million carats, the mine can be expected to continue writing the history of diamonds in Petra’s hands.