Woyie River (Diamond)

The Woyie River Diamond was recovered on 6 January 1945 from the Woyie River near Koidu in eastern Sierra Leone.^[1] The uncut stone weighed 770 carats (154 g),^[2] and at that time it was the largest alluvial diamond ever found, and the third largest diamond discovered in Africa, after the Cullinan Diamond and the Excelsior Diamond. The alluvial Star of Sierra Leone, discovered at the Diminco mine in Sierra Leone in 1970, is larger at 968.9 carats (193.78 g) uncut. ^[3][4]

The uncut Woyie River Diamond had a broadly lozenge shape, measuring 71 × 53 × 32 millimetres (2.8 × 2.1 × 1.3 in), with one unusually flat cleavage plane. The rough diamond was brought to London, where it was viewed by Queen Mary in October 1947 and then exhibited at the British Industries Fair in May 1949.

The stone was cut by diamond cutters Briefel and Lemer in London (who also cut the Williamson pink diamond) into 30 gems weighing 282.36 carats (56.472 g) in total, including 10 of over 20 carats (4.0 g) each. The largest of the gems is the Victory Diamond which is weighs 31.35 carats (6.270 g) and is Emerald cut (occasionally described as "step cut").^[5]

Victory Daamond

The Victory Diamond is described by a GIA report as "D Colour, VVS2 Clarity, Type IIa". The gemstone was acquired by Frank Jay Gould, son of railroad tycoon Jay Gould, for his third wife Florence (née La Caze) and sold after her death in 1983. It was sold again at Sotheby's in Geneva in 2014,^[6] and is up for sale at Sotheby's in New York in 2015.^[7]

See also

• List of largest rough diamonds

References