The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106.75 carats. Found in South Africa in 1905, it was put on sale in London, and bought as a present for King Edward VII of England’s 66th birthday. It was cut into various smaller stones on the king’s orders.
The problem was this: the best jewel cutters were in the Netherlands, and everyone knew that. So everyone knew the largest diamond in the world was going to be transported from London to Amsterdam. It was the perfect time for a thief to strike.
So to much fanfare, a Royal Navy ship carried an empty box across the North Sea. It was such a secret that even the ship’s captain did not know he was protecting a decoy. Meanwhile the gem’s cutter, Abraham Asscher, collected the Cullinan in London and took a train and a ship back to Amsterdam with the stone tucked in his coat pocket.
