A massive 2,492-carat diamond has been found in Botswana. The gem, unveiled by the country’s president at a ceremony on Thursday, is the second-largest diamond ever found and the largest since 1905.
“It’s overwhelming,” Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi said during the event, according to AP. “I’m glad I was able to experience this.”
According to Lucara Diamond Corp., the Canadian mining company that found the gem, the diamond weighs about half a kilogram, making it the largest diamond found in 119 years and the second largest ever mined, after the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond 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 at the Karowe diamond mine in Botswana in 2017 to identify and preserve large, high-quality diamonds.
Mokgweetsi Masisi with the diamond.
AFP via Getty Images
“The ability to recover such a massive, high-grade 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 CEO of Lucara, in a statement. “This discovery reinforces Karowe’s position as a truly world-class diamond mine and underscores the continued success of our operational and underground development strategy,” he added.
The diamond has yet to be named and graded. In 2016, an 813-carat diamond from the same mine in Botswana sold for $63 million. Lucara also previously discovered the 1,758-carat Sewelô and the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona diamonds.
David Kellie, CEO of the Natural Diamond Council, said: “The diamond industry supports the livelihoods of 10 million people around the world and helps improve access to finance, helping to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.”
According to Grant Mobley, diamond expert at the Natural Diamond Council, diversity in the diamond industry is also growing as it “drives the remarkable growth we have seen in the natural diamond market in recent years.”
“For decades, the diamond industry operated within a traditional framework, cutting diamonds in a ‘safe’ way, making jewelry with broad appeal and designing it in matching sets,” Mobley said. “In recent years, however, we have completely stepped outside of that framework, and natural diamond jewelry no longer follows strict rules. Mixing metals, layering multiple unrelated pieces on top of each other, and making engagement rings with more than one diamond – someone is constantly pushing the boundaries.”
