Calls for UK to return 500 carat Great Star of Africa diamond.
( Royal gift or 'stolen' gem?) Calls are growing in South Africa for Britain's royal family to return the world's largest known clear-cut diamond in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's death. Known as the Great Star of Africa or Cullinan I, the diamond is cut from a larger gem that was mined in South Africa in 1905 and handed over to the British royal family by South Africa's colonial authorities. It is currently mounted on a royal scepter belonging to the Queen. Demands for the return of the Great Star of Africa and other diamonds -- along with calls for repatriations -- have intensified since the Queen's death. Many South Africans view Britain's acquisition of the jewels as illegitimate. National conversation The Queen's death has opened up a conversation about colonialism and how it relates to her legacy. South African media has been debating ownership of the gem, along with demands for the payment of reparations. "The Cullinan Diamond must...