Cullinan VIII is a cushion-shaped diamond of approximately 6.8 carats, the eighth-largest of the nine principal stones cleaved and polished from the Cullinan rough diamond between 1908 and 1909 by Joseph Asscher & Co. of Amsterdam. A Type IIa stone of exceptional transparency and colourlessness, it forms part of the British Royal Collection and is today mounted alongside Cullinan VI in a brooch of emerald and diamond design. Though it ranks among the smaller of the nine principal Cullinans, it remains a stone of considerable historical, dynastic, and gemmological significance — a direct fragment of the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever recorded.

The Cullinan Rough: Context and Discovery

The Cullinan rough was unearthed on 26 January 1905 at the Premier Mine (now Cullinan Mine) near Pretoria, in what was then the Transvaal Colony of South Africa. Weighing 3,106.75 carats — approximately 621 grams — it remains, by a considerable margin, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found. The stone was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the mine's owner. After a period of public exhibition and considerable political negotiation, the Transvaal government purchased the rough and presented it to King Edward VII as a birthday gift in 1907, an act laden with the symbolism of post-war reconciliation following the Anglo-Boer War.

The rough was entrusted to Joseph Asscher & Co. of Amsterdam, then the pre-eminent diamond-cleaving house in the world. The firm's principal, Joseph Asscher, studied the stone for several months before making the first cleave in early 1908. According to well-documented accounts, Asscher fainted after delivering the decisive blow — though whether from relief or the physical tension of the moment has been debated. The rough ultimately yielded nine principal stones (designated Cullinan I through IX), ninety-six smaller brilliants, and a quantity of polished fragments and unpolished chips.

Gemmological Character

Like the majority of the principal Cullinan stones, Cullinan VIII belongs to Type IIa — the chemically purest category of diamond, characterised by an absence or near-absence of nitrogen impurities within the crystal lattice. Type IIa diamonds are notable for their exceptional optical transparency, their tendency toward colourlessness or near-colourlessness, and their transmission of ultraviolet radiation in ranges that nitrogen-bearing stones would absorb. The Premier Mine has historically produced a disproportionate number of large Type IIa diamonds, a geological circumstance linked to the unusual depth and thermal history of the kimberlite pipe from which they originate.

Cullinan VIII weighs 6.8 carats and is fashioned in a cushion shape — a cut that was standard practice for fine diamonds of the Edwardian period, balancing the retention of carat weight from the rough with the optical performance then expected of a polished stone. The stone's clarity is described as exceptional, consistent with the broader character of the Cullinan rough, which was notably free of the inclusions and fractures that complicate the cleaving of most large diamonds. No significant treatments have been reported or are expected for a stone of this provenance and period.

Cleaving and Polishing

The division of the Cullinan rough was one of the most technically demanding operations in the history of diamond cutting. Joseph Asscher & Co. spent months mapping the internal grain of the stone before proceeding. The rough was cleaved in stages, and the nine principal stones were polished over the course of approximately eight months. The work was conducted under conditions of considerable secrecy and security; the stones were transported between Amsterdam and London under arrangements involving both private couriers and deliberate misdirection.

The nine principal stones were distributed as follows: Cullinan I (530.20 carats, pear-shaped) and Cullinan II (317.40 carats, cushion) were set into the Crown Jewels — the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross and the Imperial State Crown respectively. Cullinans III through IX were retained by the Crown or presented to members of the Royal Family. Cullinan VIII, at 6.8 carats, is the smallest of the nine principal stones by weight, though the distinction between it and Cullinan IX (4.39 carats) is more marked than the sequential numbering might suggest.

Presentation and Royal Provenance

The smaller Cullinan stones — those not destined for the Crown Jewels — were presented to Queen Mary (then Princess of Wales, later Queen Consort) in 1910. Queen Mary was an ardent and knowledgeable collector of jewels, and the Cullinan stones formed some of the most prized pieces in her personal collection. She wore them in various configurations throughout her long life, and her enthusiasm for rearranging and recombining her jewels was well documented by her contemporaries and by subsequent royal historians.

Cullinan VIII was mounted together with Cullinan VI — a marquise-shaped diamond of 11.5 carats — to form a brooch of emerald and diamond design. The brooch incorporates an emerald drop element, creating a pendant-brooch of considerable elegance consistent with the Edwardian and early Georgianperiod taste for combining coloured stones with white diamonds in drop or fringe configurations. The pairing of Cullinan VI and VIII in a single jewel is a deliberate compositional choice: the larger marquise stone provides the principal diamond presence, while the cushion-cut Cullinan VIII contributes weight and visual balance to the design.

The Delhi Durbar Parure

The brooch containing Cullinans VI and VIII is associated with the Delhi Durbar parure, one of the most historically resonant suites of jewellery in the British Royal Collection. The parure was assembled for the Delhi Durbar of 1911, the grand imperial assembly held in Delhi to mark the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of India. Queen Mary wore a spectacular array of jewels at the Durbar, and several pieces — including elements set with Cullinan stones — became identified with the occasion and subsequently grouped under the Durbar designation.

The Delhi Durbar parure includes a necklace, a stomacher, and various brooches and pendants, many set with diamonds from the Cullinan rough alongside other significant stones. The suite represents the apogee of Edwardian royal jewellery: grand in scale, technically accomplished, and laden with dynastic and imperial meaning. The association of Cullinan stones with the Durbar jewels reinforced their status not merely as exceptional gemstones but as objects of state and ceremony.

The brooch containing Cullinans VI and VIII has been worn by successive members of the Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II, who inherited much of Queen Mary's jewellery collection. The piece is occasionally worn independently of the broader Durbar parure, demonstrating the versatility that Queen Mary and her jewellers built into the original design — a characteristic feature of important royal jewels of the period, which were frequently designed to be dismounted, recombined, or worn in multiple configurations.

The Nine Principal Cullinans: Comparative Context

To appreciate Cullinan VIII's place within the broader story of the rough, it is useful to consider the nine principal stones as a group:

• Cullinan I — 530.20 carats, pear-shaped; set in the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross; the largest polished white diamond in the world.
• Cullinan II — 317.40 carats, cushion; set in the Imperial State Crown.
• Cullinan III — 94.40 carats, pear-shaped; part of Queen Mary's Crown, later worn as a pendant.
• Cullinan IV — 63.60 carats, cushion; also associated with Queen Mary's Crown and later jewellery.
• Cullinan V — 18.80 carats, heart-shaped; set in a brooch.
• Cullinan VI — 11.50 carats, marquise; mounted with Cullinan VIII in the emerald-and-diamond brooch.
• Cullinan VII — 8.80 carats, marquise; pendant to a brooch containing Cullinan VIII in some historical configurations.
• Cullinan VIII — 6.80 carats, cushion; set with Cullinan VI in the emerald-and-diamond brooch.
• Cullinan IX — 4.39 carats, pear-shaped; set in a ring.

Cullinan VIII thus occupies the penultimate position by weight among the principal stones. Its relatively modest size belies its significance: as a Type IIa diamond of documented provenance from the Cullinan rough, cut by one of the most celebrated houses in the history of the craft, and held continuously within the British Royal Collection, it possesses a chain of custody and historical identity that no commercial transaction could replicate.

Joseph Asscher & Co. and the Legacy of the Cutting

The firm entrusted with dividing the Cullinan rough — Joseph Asscher & Co., founded in Amsterdam in 1854 — was at the time the most respected diamond-cleaving and polishing house in the world. The company had previously handled other exceptional stones, and its selection for the Cullinan commission was a recognition of both technical mastery and institutional trustworthiness. The firm is also credited with developing the Asscher cut, a square step-cut with a distinctive octagonal outline and deep pavilion, patented in 1902 and still widely produced today.

The Cullinan commission cemented the Asscher firm's historical reputation. The stones they produced from the rough — particularly Cullinans I and II — remain among the most celebrated polished diamonds in existence, and the technical achievement of dividing a 3,106-carat rough without catastrophic fracture is still regarded as one of the great feats of diamond craftsmanship. The ninety-six smaller brilliants and polished fragments produced alongside the nine principal stones were retained by the Asscher firm as partial payment for their work, a portion of which were subsequently sold.

Current Status and the Royal Collection

Cullinan VIII remains the property of the British Crown, held within the Royal Collection. The brooch in which it is set — alongside Cullinan VI — is maintained by the Royal Collection Trust and has been displayed publicly on various occasions, both worn by members of the Royal Family and exhibited as part of collections of Crown and personal jewels. The stone has not been independently certified by a modern gemmological laboratory in the manner of commercially traded diamonds, as its provenance and identity are established by historical record rather than laboratory documentation.

The Royal Collection Trust has published documentation on the Cullinan stones and their settings, and the brooch containing Cullinans VI and VIII has been described in authoritative works on royal jewellery. The stone's status as a Type IIa diamond is consistent with the broader characterisation of the Cullinan rough and with the scientific literature on the Premier Mine's output.

As one of the nine principal stones from the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, Cullinan VIII occupies a unique position in the history of gemmology and royal regalia. Its modest weight relative to its siblings does not diminish its significance; rather, it serves as a reminder that the Cullinan rough was vast enough to yield not one or two exceptional diamonds but nine principal stones, each of which would be remarkable in isolation, and each of which carries within its crystal lattice the geological history of a kimberlite eruption some 1.1 to 1.2 billion years ago beneath what is now the Gauteng province of South Africa.

Further Reading

• GIA Gems & Gemology — The Cullinan Diamond
• GIA Diamond Description and Type Classification