A diamond weighing 2,492 carats and barely fitting in the palm of one hand has been found in a mine in Botswana, Africa’s largest diamond producer, Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. announced.
The gemstone, discovered at the Karowe mine in northeastern Botswana, is “one of the largest rough diamonds ever discovered,” Lucara said in a statement. And the largest diamond ever found in Botswana, the Botswana government added in a separate statement.
In terms of carat, the diamond is not far off the world’s largest diamond, the “Cullinan,” which weighs more than 3,100 carats and was discovered in South Africa in 1905. “We are delighted to have found this extraordinary diamond,” Lucara CEO William Lamb said in the statement. Lucara is not disclosing the value of the find and its quality, but a press conference is scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Gaborone. The diamond is expected to be presented to President Mokgweetsi Masisi at the event.
Botswana is one of the world’s largest diamond producers, and diamonds are the country’s main source of revenue. As Lucara points out in his statement, diamond revenues bring “significant socio-economic benefits” to Botswana, investing in “vital areas such as education and health” and the infrastructure of this country of 2.6 million people.
Before the announced discovery, the largest diamond found in Botswana was a 1,758-carat stone also discovered by Lucara in 2019 and named Sewelo.
This article was previously published on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing by Susan Zijp.
