One of the Largest Diamonds Ever Found Has Been Unearthed in Africa
Botswana has announced the discovery of a massive 2,492-carat diamond at its Karowe Mine, believed to be the second-largest diamond ever unearthed. The diamond was found intact using advanced X-ray technology by Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp., which expressed excitement over this “exceptional” rough stone. This diamond surpasses the previous record-holder for the largest diamond found in over a century, following the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa in 1905. The Botswana government, which is a significant player in the global diamond industry, will showcase the diamond soon, making it the largest gem found in the nation to date. Notably, in recent years, Botswana has produced several large diamonds, including the 1,758-carat Sewelo diamond, previously considered the second-largest. Scientists noted that natural diamonds are formed over a billion years ago, emphasizing their ancient origins.
Botswana says one of the largest diamonds ever found has been unearthed at one of its mines and will be put on show on Thursday.
The Botswana government believes the huge 2,492-carat stone is the second-biggest ever brought out of a mine.
Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. said in a statement Wednesday that it recovered the “exceptional” rough diamond from its Karowe Mine in Botswana. Lucara said it was a “high-quality” stone and was found intact. It was located using X-ray technology.
“We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond,” Lucara president and CEO William Lamb said in a statement.
The weight would make it the largest diamond found in more than 100 years and the second-largest ever dug out of a mine after the Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was 3,106 carats and was cut into gems, some of which form part of the British Crown Jewels.
A bigger black diamond was discovered in Brazil in the late 1800s, but it was found above ground and was believed to have been part of a meteorite.
The newly discovered diamond will be presented to the world at the office of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, the Botswanan government said. Masisi will be one of the first to view it.
The government said it was the largest diamond found in the southern African country, which is the second-biggest producer of diamonds and has unearthed all of the world’s biggest stones in recent years. The Karowe Mine has previously produced four diamonds over 1,000 carats.
Before this discovery, the Sewelo diamond, which was found at the Karowe Mine in 2019, was recognized 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.
The 1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, also from Botswana‘s Karowe Mine, was bought by a British jeweler for $53 million in 2017.
Scientists say natural diamonds are at least a billion years old and some of them more than 3 billion years old.
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