Second-largest 2,492-carat diamond unearthed in Botswana

 Botswana 2,492-carat diamond could be second-largest ever found        

Canadian company Lucara digs up ‘extraordinary’ 2,492-carat stone from Karowe diamond mine. A massive 2,492-carat rough diamond, believed to be the second biggest ever found, has been unearthed in Botswana, according to a mining company. The huge stone is thought to be the biggest found since the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905. Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. announced Thursday that the “exceptional” gem was found intact in its Karowe mine.

The Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp said it had recovered the “exceptional” stone from its Karowe diamond mine, with a photo showing the hefty rough diamond sitting in the cupped palm of a hand. The largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered was the 3,106 carat Cullinan diamond, which was mined in South Africa in 1905 when it was still a British colony and gifted to King Edward VII. It was cut up into several gems, some of which are now part of the Crown Jewels. 

Calling it a “remarkable” find, the company celebrated it as “one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed.” It was detected, unearthed and recovered thanks to the company’s Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology, which is designed to “identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds,” the company said in a press release. Lucara’s president, William Lamb, said: “We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond.” Lucara did not say what the value of the “high quality” diamond was or if it could be cut into gems. Botswana’s government said it was the biggest diamond discovered in the country. Rough diamonds are usually classified as being gem-quality, near-gem or industrial-quality, depending on their colour, clarity, size and shape. Prior to the latest announcement, the second largest discovery was thought to be the Lesedi La Rona, a 1,109-carat stone also found by Lucara at the Karowe mine in 2015. The diamond was sold to luxury jeweler Graff for $53 million two years later.

Lucara’s spokeswoman said the company had found found six of the top 10 diamonds ever discovered. The stone will be properly evaluated over the coming weeks, the spokeswoman added. Its Karowe mine has been yielding progressively bigger stones. In 2019, Lucara dug out the 1,758-carat Sewelo diamond, then the world’s second-biggest mined diamond. Louis Vuitton bought it for an undisclosed sum, even though it was black in appearance and it was unclear how many gems could be cut from it. The diamond is due to be presented to Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi. Last month, Botswana, the world’s biggest diamond producer by value, proposed a law to request that, once they are granted licenses, mining companies sell a 24% stake in mines to local investors unless the government exercises its option to acquire the shareholding. 

The largest diamond ever found was the black Sergio stone, which was discovered above ground in Brazil in 1895 and cut up to be used in industrial drills. Black “carbonado” stones such as the Sergio are thought to be parts of meteorites. Russia is the world’s largest diamond producer, but most large valuable finds have been made in Botswana in recent years. The southern African country has been trying to increase its power in the industry, negotiating a progressively bigger share of stones mined by Anglo American-owned De Beers last year, in a new 10-year agreement.