Gem Gawking: L'Incomparable Diamond

     The L'Incomparable Diamond is an internally flawless 407.48 carat yellowish-brown shield step-cut diamond.  The rough diamond was discovered by a little girl in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1980 in a pile of rubble outside her uncle's house. 

The girl gave it to her uncle who sold it to a group of buyers.  It changed hands several times before being unveiled to the public in 1984.

     The rough stone, weighing 890 carats, was cut into one large and 14 smaller pieces.  The largest piece of rough yielded a gem weighing 407.48 carats, the third largest diamond ever cut.  Only the Golden Jubilee and the Cullinan I are larger.

     Last month, luxury jeweler Mouawad unveiled it's L'Incomparable necklace set with the world's largest internally flawless diamond.  The dazzling 18 karat rose gold necklace features 91 diamonds with a total carat weight of 637 carats.  The necklace is on display at the Doha Jewelry and Watch Exhibition.