The Cullinan convex mirror is made of abstract chunks cast resin mounted on a silver leafed wood frame. They reminded me of rough diamonds, specially the legendary Cullinan diamond.
The Cullinan Diamond was discovered on January 16, 1905 at the Premier No. 2 mine in South Africa. It was embedded 18 feet down the mine’s wall. A shaft of light hit it and was pried out by Frederick Wells, the surface manager. It was so big that it was thought to made of glass. In fact it was thrown out a window as an annoying prank. Thankfully it was retrieved and found to be largest gem quality diamond ever found. It weighed 3,016.75 carats!
The Cullinan was eventually presented to King Edward VII of England. He announced that he had accepted the stone “for myself and my successors”, and that “this great and unique diamond [would] be kept and preserved among the historic jewels which form the heirlooms of the Crown”. After cutting the stone it was reduced to nine stones, the largest of which were attached to the British Coronation regalia. The smallest were used by the queen and were known as “granny’s chips by Queen Mary’s grandchildren.
More of this fascinating story can be found at http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/queens-top-10-diamonds-1-cullinan.html
This mirror is about 14 inches in diameter. It is currently in my studio waiting to be shipped to one of my showrooms. If you are interested contact me directly.
Jewelry for walls.
The original Cullinan in its uncut, rough state. This is a replica.
One of my cast resin “rough diamonds”.
Some of the cuttings from the Cullinan Diamond:
In the Imperial State Crown, the Cullinan II( 317.4 carats)
In the Sovereign’s Sceptre; the Great Star of Africa( Cullinan I, 520.2 carats)
Brooch containing the Cullinan III and IV. Part of what is known as “Granny’s chips”.
Queen Mary decked out wearing many diamonds. Can you guess which ones are Cullinan?
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