Giant Black Diamonds From Outerspace
The rest is history; today, ten million people worldwide work in the $72 billion diamond industry. Here's a look at the largest diamonds ever unearthed, as well as the rich and famous people with the blingiest rings.
Like other carbonados, it's believed to be of meteoritic origin.
Mariah Carey's Rock Tops The List
Billionaire James Packer proposed to songstress Mariah Carey with a 35-carat diamond ring worth $10 million. The couple split after Packer called off the engagement, but Mariah gets to keep the bling.
The Massive Cullinan Diamond
The most famous diamond in the world weighed 1.37 pounds when it was discovered in South Africa in 1905 with an estimated worth of $2 billion.
The Excelsior Diamond
The Excelsior is the third largest rough diamond ever found, weighing over 971 carats. It was split into smaller stones and the largest sold for over $2.6 million in 1996.
The Flawless Elizabeth Taylor Diamond
Elizabeth Taylor was gifted a 33-carat diamond ring by her husband Richard Burton in 1968. The white diamond was sold by Taylor's estate for $8.8 million in 2011.
The Star Of Sierra Leone
This uncut diamond was unearthed in 1972 and weighed in at 969 carats. It was purchased by Harry Winston and cut into 17 smaller diamonds.
Incomparable Diamond Discovered By A Little Girl
A young girl playing outside actually uncovered this diamond near an old mine on her uncle's land in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Incomparable Diamond weighed 890 carats and it's worth between $15 and 20 million.
Kim's Engagement Ring From Kanye
Kanye first proposed to Kim with a 15-carat Lorraine Schwartz ring in 2013. He later gifted her with a new 20-carat ring worth $4 million; it was stolen when she was robbed in Paris last year.
Beyoncé's Big, Bright Rock
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have always been known for being relatively private stars—but there's no hiding a rock of this size. Bey's 18-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring is worth over $5 million.
The De Beers Millennium Star
The Millennium Star is a 203-carat diamond owned by De Beers. It was 777 carats before it was cut by the diamond giant, who insured the pear-shaped final product for over $124 million.
The Woyie River Diamond
This 770-carat rock was uncovered in 1945 and eventually cut into thirty smaller pieces. The largest stone, named the Victory Diamond, weighs over 31 carats.
Paris Hilton's Ring From Another Paris
Paris Hilton's former fiancé, Pairs Latsis, proposed with a 24-carat white diamond ring worth $4.7 million. The pair ended up parting ways in 2005.
J. Lo's Largest Of Four
Jennifer has been engaged four times and Marc Anthony's 8.5-carat ring is the largest she's worn. The $4 million rock stayed on her hand until the couple divorced in 2011.
Grace Kelly's Royal Rock
Grace Kelly received this 10.5-carat emerald cut Cartier diamond ring from Prince Rainier III of Monaco. The couple's 1956 ceremony was called the wedding of the century.
The Golden Jubilee Blessed By The Pope
Pope John Paul II gave this diamond a blessing after it was found in South Africa in 1985. The enormous 545-carat diamond is currently owned by the Royal Family of Thailand and is worth anywhere between $4 and 12 million.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's Outrageous Diamond
Jackie's second marriage to Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis put a 40-carat engagement ring on her finger. The stone, called the Lesotho III, sold in the 1990s for over $2.5 million.
One More From Mariah Carey
Mariah's ex-husband Nick Cannon put a $2.5 million ring on her finger. The Jacob & Co.
piece featured a 17-carat pink diamond surrounded by 58 smaller pink diamonds.
Blake Lively's Bling
Ryan Reynolds spent an estimated $2.5 million on Blake Lively's 12-carat diamond ring. The couple married in 2012 and they have two daughters together.
The Planet's Most Valuable Pink Diamond
The 59-carat Pink Star diamond just sold for a record $71.2 million in Hong Kong. It was unearthed 20 years ago by De Beers as a 132-carat rough stone.
A Brazilian Beauty
The Vargas diamond was found in Brazil in 1938. The rough stone weighed in at 726 carats before Harry Winston picked it up and cut it into 29 smaller rocks.
Melania Trump's Ring Featured In White House Portrait
The First Lady of the United States wears a 12-carat ring that Donald paid an estimated $3 million for. Her official White House portrait puts the ring front and center.
Another One Of Kim's Rings
Kim Kardashian's second husband Kris Humphries put a $2 million ring on her finger. After the couple split, Humphries sold the 16.2-carat ring for $749,000 and earned a profit of half a million dollars.
The Jonker, A Giant From The 1930s
Johannes Jacobus Jonker found this 726-carat rough diamond in South Africa in 1934. It was cut into smaller stones and the largest, the Jonker I, weighs in at 142 carats.
J.Lo's Pink Ring From Ben
Back when Bennifer was among the leading Hollywood power couples, Affleck put a 6.1-carat Harry Winston ring on Jennifer's hand. The pink diamond ring was worth an estimated $2.5 million.
Two Rings For This Tennis Star
Anna Kournikova's fiancé Enrique Iglesias have been together for over 14 years, and he's given her pink and yellow diamond rings.
The pink 11-carat diamond is worth $2.5 million.