The largest diamond found in more than a century has been unearthed in Botswana at a mine owned by Canadian firm Lucara Diamond, the BBC reported. The Botswana government said that the huge 2,492-carat stone is the biggest find since the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, found in South Africa in 1905. It stated that the diamond, which is yet to be named, is also the largest ever discovered in the southern African state. It was found at Karowe mine, which is about 500km north of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.
Botswana is one of the world’s biggest producers of diamonds, according to the BBC. In a statement, the Canadian firm said that the stone was “one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed”. “We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond. The ability to recover such a massive, high-quality stone intact demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach to diamond recovery and our commitment to maximizing value for our shareholders and stakeholders,” said Lucara Diamond’s head William Lamb.
“This discovery reinforces Karowe’s position as a truly world-class diamond mine and highlights the continued success of our operational and underground development strategy,” he added.
According to the statement, the diamond was detected with the use of Lucara’s Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology. It has been used since 2017 to identify and preserve high-value diamonds so that they do not break during one-crushing processes.
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The company did not reveal details about the diamond’s quality or its value. However, according to the Financial Times, people close to Lucara estimated that the stone could be worth upwards of $40 million.
“This discovery symbolizes Botswana’s continued ascent as a global leader in diamond production. It represents not only the unparalleled wealth found in Botswana’s soil, but also the remarkable progress the nation has made in developing its diamond industry for the benefit of its citizens,” the Canadian firm said.
Notably, this latest recovery joins an impressive roster of other significant finds from the mine, including the Sewelo diamond, which was found at the Karowe Mine in 2019, and was recognised as the second-biggest mined diamond in the world at 1,758 carats. It was bought by French fashion house Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed amount.
A 1,109-carat diamond, unearthed at the same mine in 2016, was bought for $53 million by London jeweller Laurence Graff, chairman of Graff Diamonds, in 2017.
