ranked #7 out of 11 diamonds	rated 3.77 out of 5	total 143 votes

The Excelsior Diamond

The Excelsior was found in Africa in 1893. The rough diamond weighed 995,2 carats, was blue-white colored and had some black spots inside. The shape of the diamond was unusual - flat on one side, a peak on the other side. The name Excelsior comes apparently from this peak, since Excelsior means higher.

The Excelsior diamond was cleaved in several pieces. The three largest pieces weighed 158, 147 and 130 carats. The smaller pieces weighed from 70 carats to under 1 carat each. They totalled 373.75 carats which represented a loss in weight of almost 63%. The resulting diamonds got numbers: Excelsior I, Excelsior II and so on.

Why it was decided to cut this large beautiful diamond into pieces stays unclear.

The Excelsior diamonds were sold seperately. Some were bought by Tiffany & Co, some are said to be purchased by De Beers.