A FABULOUS GEM.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 41, 12 November 1907, Page 5

A FABULOUS GEM.

- TiUNSVAAL'S -PRESENT TO THE KING. BY TEMGBAHI—MESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. ' London, November 10. Sir R. Solomon, on behalf of the Transvaal, prcsonted the Cullinan diamond to the King at Sandringbam. HIS MAJESTY'S PLEASURE. (Iteo. Nov. 11, 10.25 p.m.) i London, November 11. King Edward has directed Lord Elgin, Secretary for the Colonies, to cable to the Iransvaal Ministry that His Majesty has accepted the; Cullinan diamond as a tolton of tho loyalty arid attachment of the people of tho Transvaal to his Throne and person; also, that His Majesty will preservo tho unique jowel among tho Crown heirlooms, and is much pleased with tho cordial congratulations of the Transvaal Ministry accompanying tho gift. Ono who has soen tho Cullinan diamond writes of it:— It is n rough lump, so much heavier than you woulil expect from meroly looking at it that when it was put into one's hand its keeper nut his hand below in ca6o ono dropped it. It had slanting, shining surfaces in it rather like mica, and there dwelt at its heart, shifting slightly if you looked too olose at it, a pale azure little mist of colour like the bluo of a moonstono. It is difficult to describe the size of it, but .1 romeniber that it covored more than tho palm of my hand. I supposo it is possiblo to fix a valuo for it, but only in an arbitrary way. Diamonds mount in value by swell enormous leaps when they nro of any great sizo that it cannot be possible strictly to value a thing thirty times the weight of the Kohinoor. Even if you rate it in proportion to difference between tho Kohinoor and othor big stones you still cannot be right, because thero is no means of measuring tho proportion—the gap is .too great." Another account says tho Cullinan diamond is 3}in. long, 2>in. wide,, about l}in. thick, and turns the scale at over .1000 carats.