It’s a true story--no matter how much like a fairy tale it may sound. A totally unsuspecting man literally stumbled upon what was, and still is today the world’s largest diamond--all 3,106 carats of it--about 1-1/3 lbs. It happened at the Premier Mine #2, near Pretoria, South Africa, in 1905.

Due to the immense value of this enormous diamond, the authorities in charge of its transportation were posed with a huge security problem. How could they get it to their company headquarters in England? They solved their dilemma in an interesting way. Detectives from London were placed on a steamboat that was rumored to carry the expensive stone. The detectives placed a parcel in the Captain’s safe and guarded the safe throughout the entire journey.

However this was a diversionary tactic. The stone…