Giant 2,492-carat gemstone, thought to be the globe's second-largest, discovered in Botswana
A colossal stone is believed to be the largest discovered since the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was uncovered in South Africa's Premier mine back in 1905.
On Thursday, Lucara Diamond Corp. revealed that this "outstanding" gem was extracted intact from their Karowe mine.
The company praised the discovery as "extraordinary" and one of the largest rough diamonds ever excavated.
Credit for detecting, extracting, and recovering the diamond goes to Lucara's Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology. This technology is designed to "identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds," the company explained in a press statement.
William Lamb, Lucara's president and CEO, expressed excitement over the recovery of this "extraordinary" 2,492-carat diamond in a statement.
Rough diamonds are graded as gem-quality, near-gem, or industrial-quality based on factors like color, clarity, size, and shape.
Before this announcement, the second-largest discovery was assumed to be the Lesedi La Rona, a 1,109-carat stone found by Lucara at the Karowe mine in 2015. The diamond was later sold to luxury jeweler Graff for $53 million in 2017.
Lucara's spokesperson claimed that their company has discovered six of the top 10 diamonds ever discovered.
The stone will undergo evaluation in the coming weeks, the spokesperson mentioned.
According to Reuters, the diamond will be presented to Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Thursday.
Last month, Botswana, the foremost diamond producer globally in terms of value, proposed a law to require mining companies to sell a 24% stake in their mines to local investors, unless the government exercises its right to purchase the shareholding, as reported by Reuters.
The record-breaking 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was unveiled in 1905 from the Premier mine in Transvaal, now South Africa. It was subsequently cut into smaller stones, some of which are now part of the British royal family's crown jewels.
This extraordinary discovery could potentially be set in a piece of luxury jewelry, showcasing its natural beauty and the style of exquisite craftsmanship.
With its size and quality, this gem is expected to command a high price in the luxury diamond market.
