A massive 2,492-carat diamond, believed to be the second largest in the world, has been unearthed in northern Botswana. The rough stone was discovered by a Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corporation in Karowe Diamond Mine using X-ray technology. The diamond, which is yet unnamed, is said to be the biggest one found since the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was discovered back in 1905 in South Africa.
It was cut into smaller stones, some of which were used in the British royal family’s crown jewels. The discovery of the "exceptional" gem was announced by the mining company on Thursday."We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond," Lucara President and CEO William Lamb said in the statement, CNN reported.
Calling it a "remarkable" discovery, the mining company said that it is "one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed." It was detected and unearthed using the company’s Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology, which was designed in 2017 to "identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds," the company's statement read. In 2021, Lucara had found a 1,174-carat diamond in Botswana using the same X-ray technology.
Although Lucara released the picture of the diamond, it is yet to reveal details about its value and quality. Botswana President Mokgsweeti Masisi was also shown the diamond on Thursday, following which his government said that it was the second largest in the world, Al Jazeera reported. Prior to the latest announcement, a 1,758-carat Sewelo diamond, dug out from Karowe mine, was considered to be the second-biggest diamond.
It was bought by Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed sum. It was black in appearance and was unclear as to how many gems could be cut out from it, The Guardian reported. Lesedi La Rona, a 1,109-carat stone that was also found by Lucara at the Karowe mine in 2015, was the second largest discovery before the Sewelo.
It was bought by a luxury jeweler Graff for $53 million two years after its discovery. Lucara’s spokeswoman told CNN that the company had recovered six of the top 10 diamonds ever discovered. "The stone will be properly evaluated over the coming weeks," the spokeswoman added.
Even though Russia is known as the world's largest diamond producer, Botswana has emerged as the country where the most valuable finds have been made. Last month, Bostwana even proposed a law requesting that once the mining companies are granted licenses they must sell a 24 per cent stake in mines to local investors unless the government exercises its option to acquire shareholding, news agency Reuters reported..
