Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Star of the South
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Illustration of three famous diamonds: the round Koh-i-noor at 105.6 carats, the cushion-shaped Star of the South at 129 carats, and the rectangular pink Darya-i-noor at 185 carats, shown with a size scale.
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
famous diamonds
famous diamonds Many famous diamonds are part of state-owned crown jewels, while others belong to museums or are privately owned. The pale pink Darya-i-noor, whose name means "sea of light," is one of the crown jewels of Iran. The Koh-i-noor, whose name means "mountain of light," is the central stone in a crown worn by Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI, king of the United Kingdom. The Jubilee diamond is privately owned.

Star of the South

diamond
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Star of the South, unblemished 129-carat white diamond with a rosy glow, one of the largest ever found in Brazil; it weighed about 262 carats in rough form. It was discovered in 1853 in the Bagagem River (in Minas Gerais state) by a slave woman, who was given her freedom and pensioned as a reward. The Star of the South has been owned by the Société Cartier, a French luxury goods conglomerate, since 2002.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.