Mounted by David Webb

Magnificent Jewels, Sotheby's New York, 16 June 2022, lot 437.

Referenced in Ian Balfour, Famous Diamonds, Fifth Edition, pg. 306.

The Earth Star was discovered at the Jagersfontein mine in South Africa in 1967, in the form of a 248.90-carat rough diamond. The event was notable because the mine had not previously been known to produce brown diamonds or diamonds of such a large size. Moreover, this specimen came from 2,500 feet below the surface, which is exceptionally deep for a gem of this size. The stone was later sent to Baumgold Brothers in New York, who fashioned it into the pear-shaped diamond we see today and dubbed it the “Earth Star” due to its high degree of brilliance. In 1971, the diamond was sent back to South Africa for an exhibition commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the discovery of the Kimberley mine. Later, in 1983, the “Earth Star” was sold for nearly one million dollars.

The Earth Star’s combination of size and brilliance, as well as its bespoke mounting by David Webb, makes it exceedingly rare. The diamond is the largest diamond ever mounted by David Webb, who designed the custom mounting using azurmalachite to resemble the Earth as seen from the perspective of a star, creating a striking visual representation of the diamond’s earthly origins.