It was not long after De Beers Corporation set about the business of mining diamonds that their first major discovery surfaced. A stone weighing 428.5-carats was unearthed from the Kimberly mines of South Africa.

After its cutting, the De Beers diamond was unveiled at the Paris Exhibition of 1889. Enthralled crowds lined up to see what, at 228.5 polished carats, was believed to be the largest cut diamond in the world.

And while many great stones have been discovered over the past century, the De Beers diamond holds the title of being the fourth largest cut diamond in the world.