A massive 2,492-carat diamond has been mined in Botswana. The gem, unveiled by the country’s president at a viewing ceremony on Thursday, is the second-largest diamond ever found and the biggest since 1905.
“It is overwhelming,” Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi said during the event, according to AP. “I am lucky to have seen it in my time.”
According to Lucara Diamond Corp., the Canadian mining company that found the gem, the diamond weighs approximately half a kilogram. This makes it the largest diamond found in 119 years and the second-largest ever mined after the Cullinan Diamond of 3,106 carats was discovered in South Africa in 1905.
The discovery was made possible by the company’s mega diamond recovery (MDR) and X-ray transmission (“XRT”) technology, which was installed in 2017 at its Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana to identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds.
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“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 William Lamb, president and chief executive officer of Lucara, via statement. “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.
The diamond has yet to be named and priced. In 2016, an 813-carat diamond from the same mine in Botswana was sold for $63 million. Lucara has also previously uncovered the 1,758-carat Sewelô and the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond.
David Kellie, chief executive officer of the Natural Diamond Council, said, “The diamond industry supports the livelihoods of 10 million people across the world, helping to provide better access to funding to contribute to solving some of the world’s biggest challenges.”
According to Natural Diamond Council’s diamond expert Grant Mobley, the diamond industry is also growing diversity as “driving the remarkable growth we’ve seen in the natural diamond market over the last few years.”
“For decades, the diamond industry operated within a traditional box, cutting diamonds in ‘safe’ ways, crafting jewelry with broad appeal, and styling it in matched sets,” Mobley said. “In recent years, however, we’ve completely stepped out of that box, and natural diamond jewelry no longer follows strict rules. Mixing metals, layering multiple unrelated pieces, and creating engagement rings with more than one diamond — someone is always pushing the boundaries.”
