If you love diamonds, it’s fun to fantasize about bigger and bigger diamonds, and, ultimately, the biggest. That would be The Cullinan, a famous diamond found inSouth Africa’s Premier Mine in 1905. The mine manager initially thought to discard the diamond, figuring something so big could only be a crystal. But no. The whopping 3,106.75-carat, 1.33 pound stone was for real. It was named for Thomas Cullinan, the Premier Mine’s chairperson.     The Cullinan was presented as a gift to King Edward VII of England in 1907. The Dutch firm I.J. Asscher of Amsterdam was entrusted with cutting the huge and precious stone. Joseph Asscher began eight months of careful work on the Cullinan in 1908. The story goes that Asscher studied the stone for six months before successfully splitting the diamond. Then he fainted from nervous exhaustion. Three polishers put in 14-hour days cutting, grinding and polishing the resulting 9 large stones and 96 little brilliant diamonds.   The nine large stones became part of the Royal Jewels. The biggest stone is called the Great Star of Africa, or Cullinan One, and weighs in at more than 530 carats. If you visit the Tower of London, you can see it topping the royal scepter. The second biggest stone, which is called Star of Africa II or Cullinan II, is also in the Tower. Other stones became earrings, brooches and necklaces worn by royalty. For Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, visitors could see seven of the nine big Cullinan stones on display in Buckingham Palace.     Unfortunately for us diamond lovers, we can’t all have such a sumptuous diamond collection as the Queen of England. But shopping at Amidon, you can find your own little star of Africa, your personal mini Cullinan. Whether you’re looking for earrings, a pendant or ring, your own diamond will be part of the dramatic history of the world diamond industry, and people’s centuries-old love of this sparkling gem.   Show your love for diamonds with a diamond shaped like a heart! This pendant is sure to please.