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Did You Know ? Cullinan, Rolls-Royce’s First-ever SUV, Was Named After World’s Largest Diamond
Did you know? The Cullinan, Rolls-Royce’s first-ever luxury SUV, was named after the world’s largest diamond.
The Cullinan diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g) (21.9 ounces)
At 530.4 Carats, the Cullinan I (or the Great Star of Africa), the biggest gem from the cut, is the largest clear cut diamond in the world.
Currently owned by Queen Elizabeth, the stone (Cullinan I) is mounted in the head of the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross.
The second-largest, also owned by Queen Elizabeth, is Cullinan II or the Second Star of Africa. It is mounted in the Imperial State Crown.
While Rolls-Royce Cullinan starts at ₦350 million, the Cullinan I diamond would bring in around ₦164.5 billion if it were to be sold.
The Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the British marque’s first-ever luxury all-terrain, all-season SUV, is currently the most expensive sports utility vehicle on the market that money can buy.
Dubbed the Rolls-Royce of SUVs, the Cullinan is the ultimate companion for both highway cruising as well as rural excursions.
The jewel in the crown of luxury SUVs is now the car every the wealthy and world’s famous are queuing up to buy, including the sports stars, celebrities and business magnates.
But did you know that the luxury off-roader takes its name after the largest diamond ever discovered? The Cullinan diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g) (21.9 ounces).
Discovered at the Premier No.2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa, on 26 January 1905, the diamond itself was named after Thomas Cullinan, the mine’s chairman.
The nine major stones. Top, L-R : Cullinans II, I, and III. Bottom, L-R: Cullinans VIII, VI, IV, V, VII and IX.
When it was eventually cut, the Cullinan diamond produced stones of various cuts and sizes, the largest of which is named Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa. At 530.4 carats (106.08 g) (3.74 ounces), Cullinan I, with 74 facets, is the largest clear cut diamond in the world.
The stone is mounted in the head of the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross. The second-largest is Cullinan II or the Second Star of Africa, weighing 317.4 carats (63.48 g), is mounted in the Imperial State Crown.
Cullinans I and II are part of the Crown Jewels, which belong to the Queen in right of the Crown. Seven other major diamonds, weighing a total of 208.29 carats (41.66 g), are privately owned by Elizabeth II, who inherited them from her grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1953.
While the Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV starts at $335,000 (or around ₦350 million in Nigeria), the largest diamond, the Cullinan I diamond, would bring in around $400 million (₦164.5 billion), if it were to be sold.
