Home About Writers Categories Recent Issues Subscribe Contact File Transfer





Jerry Burnell
Jerry Burnell has been a driving force in the jewelry industry of Kansas for the past 30 years. Jerry is a native of Wichita and a graduate of Wichita State University. He jokingly says that he had a degree in business, almost a masters in business, almost a degree in chemistry, with heavy studies in physics, math, and biology and he just quit college, that he figured that with 239 credit hours he should be able to make a living somewhere. Actually he was already deep into the motions of starting the most respected jewelry design team in this part of the country. Jerry is highly regarded and considered an expert in many fields, three of which are Precious gemstones, jewelry manufacture, and jewelry design. Jerry is presently president of The Kansas Jewelers Association and holds a position on the advisory board of Jewelers of America. You may contact Jerry at Burnell’s Jewelers, (316) 634-2822, or find Burnell’s Jewelers on the web at www.burnells.com
Gold, Silver, Diamonds & Jewelry
2005-08-01 15:40:00
How big is big... in diamonds?
:   How big is big when it comes to diamonds?
ANSWER:  There are a number of famous diamonds, and they often have complex and even controversial histories because of the secrecy surrounding such stones. One of these stones in called the Star of Africa. This stone is the largest cut diamond in the world at 530.20 carats. Another name for this famous stone is the Cullinan 1. Cut in a pear shape with 74 facets, it is set in the Royal Scepter and kept with the rest of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London in England. The largest diamond crystal ever located was the Cullinan, which was originally 3,106 carats. It was discovered in Transvaal on the continent of South Africa in the year 1095. Joseph Asscher and Company of Amsterdam, spent 6 months studying the stone trying to decide how to properly cut it. Eventually, the original crystal was cut into nine major stones, and 96 smaller brilliant cut stones. It was, upon the initial discovery of the Cullinan, thought to have been part of a much larger crystal, but the other "half" has never been discovered or proven to exist. It's thought that the second largest stone ever found is The Excelsior. A high-clarity, blue-white stone, this one was found in l893 by a South African mine worker, who picked it out of a shovelful of gravel. Because of its irregular shape, it was cut into 21 polished stones, of which the largest was a marquise of 69.80 carats. A smaller, 18-carat marquise stone cut from the Excelsior was displayed at the l939 World's Fair by De Beers.The ironically named Hope diamond, named for its purchaser, Henry Thomas Hope,  may have had a long and illustrious history before it became associated with a run of bad luck for its owners. It is thought to be a part of the famous Blue Tavernier Diamond, brought to Europe from India in l642. The Blue was purchased by King Louis XIV who had it cut to 67.50 carats from 112 carats to bring out its brilliance. The diamond was stolen during the French Revolution, and a smaller diamond of similar color was sold in l830 to Hope, an English banker. He probably paid for his own diamond a second time, but no one knows.After inheriting the diamond, Hope's son lost his fortune. The Hope was eventually acquired by an American widow, Mrs. Edward McLean, whose family then suffered a series of catastrophes. Her only child was accidentally killed, the family broke up, Mrs. McLean lost all of her money, and then committed suicide. When Harry Winston, the New York diamond merchant, bought the stone in l949, many clients refused to touch the stone.   It is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. More on the "Diamonds Are Indeed Forever" story next time…
 
The Q & A Times Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.Materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Thank you.
 
Wildcard SSL Certificates