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Lot Essay
THE JONKER V
Found on 17th January 1934, the extraordinary 726 carat rough was named after Johannes Jacobus Jonker, the diamond digger who discovered it. At the time the Jonker was the fourth largest gem quality diamond ever unearthed. The stone was subsequently purchased by Joseph Bastiaenen of the Diamond Corporation Ltd., a company owned by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. In 1935, it became the first of Harry Winston’s renowned acquisitions of exceptional and important diamonds. The Jonker was displayed during the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary that took place the same year.
Lazare Kaplan was chosen to cut the important diamond. He studied the Jonker for months and after painstaking calculating and examining the rough, the stone was ultimately cleaved and sawed into 13 pieces. The largest polished diamond weighed 142.90 carats and retained the name of Jonker. It was later recut to 125.35 carats and is one of the most perfectly-cut diamonds in the world.
We are honoured to present the Jonker V, a beautiful 25.27 carat (re-polished from 25.78 carats) rectangular-shaped diamond that was cut from a 54.19 carat rough part of the 726 carat Jonker.
Found on 17th January 1934, the extraordinary 726 carat rough was named after Johannes Jacobus Jonker, the diamond digger who discovered it. At the time the Jonker was the fourth largest gem quality diamond ever unearthed. The stone was subsequently purchased by Joseph Bastiaenen of the Diamond Corporation Ltd., a company owned by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. In 1935, it became the first of Harry Winston’s renowned acquisitions of exceptional and important diamonds. The Jonker was displayed during the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary that took place the same year.
Lazare Kaplan was chosen to cut the important diamond. He studied the Jonker for months and after painstaking calculating and examining the rough, the stone was ultimately cleaved and sawed into 13 pieces. The largest polished diamond weighed 142.90 carats and retained the name of Jonker. It was later recut to 125.35 carats and is one of the most perfectly-cut diamonds in the world.
We are honoured to present the Jonker V, a beautiful 25.27 carat (re-polished from 25.78 carats) rectangular-shaped diamond that was cut from a 54.19 carat rough part of the 726 carat Jonker.