The Queen's quirky nickname for diamond broach worth £50m and who owns it now
07.10.2023 - 10:35
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
For a diamond broach heaving with 158 carats, the first thought to come to mind wouldn't be 'Granny's Chips'.
But that was the nickname Queen Elizabeth II dubbed the two massive diamonds that made up one of the world's most valuable broaches. The piece of jewellery worth £50 million is known as 'Granny'
The £50 million broach was cut from the Cullinan, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found.
Queen Mary gifted the valuable jewels to her granddaughter, the late Queen, who wore it sparingly during her 70-year reign. The diamonds hold a significant place in history, having been passed down from generation to generation of royals.
The piece is made up of two massive diamonds worn together as a broach. Impressively, both jewels were cut from one even larger diamond, the Cullinan.
The one-of-a-kind diamond weighed in at an incredible 3,106 carats (or 621.35 grams). Granny's Chips is comprised of Cullinan III and Cullinan IV, which weigh 94.4 and 63.6 carats, respectively.
The Cullinan bears the name of the founder of the South African mine in which it was discovered in 1905 and now forms the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels. It was presented to King Edward VII as a symbolic gesture to help mend relations between Britain and South Africa after the Boer War.
The diamonds are considered to have the best characteristics desired in rough stones, clarity and clear white colour. Due to their enormous value, lore has sprung up connected to the Cullinan.
One rumour is that the huge diamond was sent to England in an ordinary parcel, while a heavily guarded replica acted as a decoy on a steamboat, while another, well-sourced suggestion is that the man assigned the delicate job of cutting the diamond, Joseph Asscher, fainted when he