The world’s second-largest gem quality diamond has been discovered. The sparkling beauty was discovered in Botswana (Africa) by a Canadian mining firm called Lucara Diamond Corporation.
This comes as an astonishing discovery, especially for Botswana, for the 1,111-carat diamond that’s sized at 2.5 inches by 2.2 inches, is the country’s biggest find yet. And do you know how big the Kohinoor was when it was mined? 793 carats, uncut. Puts things in perspective.
In a press statement, CEO and Lucara President, William Lamb said,
“The significance of the recovery of a gem quality stone larger than 1,000 carats, the largest for more than a century and the continued recovery of high quality stones from the south lobe, cannot be overstated.”
“Our focus on mining the south lobe, which is delivering value beyond expectation, has been perfectly timed with the commissioning of our recent plant modifications, enabling the recovery of these large, high quality exceptional diamonds,” he further added.
The title of the world’s largest diamond rests with the 3,106.75-carat Cullinan Diamond that was discovered in 1905 in South Africa. Estimated to be around a whopping $400 million, we can’t help but wonder about the price of this latest shiny-boy on the block.