A pear-shaped, 107.07-carat gem cut from a rough stone weighing 400 carats, the Louis Cartier diamond was found in South Africa in 1974. It is one of the very few stones over 100 carats to be certified D Flawless.
In 1974, a 400-carat diamond was unearthed in South Africa. Cartier bought it and sent it to the finest stonecutters, who needed long months of work to give it a perfect pear shape. It was then one of the very few diamonds over 100 carats to be certified D (colorless) and Flawless by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The gem, henceforth bearing the name of Louis Cartier, was described as the finest possible quality, being colorless and flawless.
In 1976, a retrospective was organized in New York to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Louis Cartier. The diamond created a stir among the many glamorous items of jewelry displayed in the Fifth Avenue showroom.
Cartier Paris later sold the diamond to a European collector.