Premier Rose Diamond, Diamond from the Premier Mine, South Africa

The Premier Rose Diamond was a 353.9-carat rough stone from the Premier Mine in South Africa, cut into a family of stones led by the 137.02-carat Big Rose, a colourless, inclusion-free pear shape. The 31.48-carat Little Rose and the 2.11-carat Baby Rose came from the same crystal. The polished stones set a benchmark for symmetry and proportions in large fancy cuts.

The Premier Rose Diamond was mined in March 1978 at the Premier Mine of De Beers in South Africa, as a rough stone of 353.9 carats. Mouw Diamond Cutting of Johannesburg bought it through a partnership with William Goldberg of New York City, and Rose Mouw, wife of founder Jacob Mouw, marked it for bisection. Frans Swanepoel sawed the stone; Sylvain and Jacques Mouw cleaved the lesser half.

The name combines the Premier Mine with Rose Mouw, who marked the rough for bisection; her husband Jacob founded Mouw Diamond Cutting in Johannesburg. The three polished stones are called the Premier Rose family, the largest keeping the original name.

The rough stone was sawed by Frans Swanepoel, while the lesser half was cleaved by Sylvain and Jacques Mouw, with apprentice Marcel Cilliers Smulders assisting. Polishing of the 137.02-carat Big Rose and 31.48-carat Little Rose fell to David du Plessis, who later worked on the Golden Jubilee and Centenary diamonds. The 2.11-carat Baby Rose was polished by Mike Botha and Willem Joubert.

The original rough crystal was divided into three separate stones during the cutting process: Big Rose, Little Rose, and Baby Rose. This division demonstrates how cutters sometimes intentionally split larger stones to achieve optimal shapes and quality.