A new diamond discovery could rewrite the record books. Canadian miner Lucara Diamond Corp stumbled upon what’s shaping up to be the second-largest stone in history and the biggest diamond ever discovered in Botswana , Bloomberg reported. The firm discovered the colossal 2,492-carat uncut gem at the South African state’s Karowe mine.
The oversized rock is the biggest stone to turn up since the exceptional 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was found in South Africa in 1905. Named after mine owner Thomas Cullinan, it was subsequently cut into nine major stones and incorporated into the British Crown Jewels . “We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond,” said Lucara head William Lamb in a press release .
The miner made the discovery with the help of the company’s Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology. Lucara has been using the tech since 2017 to identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds so they don’t break during the excavation process. “The ability to recover such a massive, high-quality stone intact demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach to diamond recovery,” Lamb continued.
While certainly one of the most significant discoveries in recent years, the unearthing of this massive stone is one of many headline-making finds at the 100 percent Lucara-owned Karowe mine. In 2015, the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona stone was found and later sold to Graff Diamonds for a whopping $53 million—or $47,777 per carat. More recently in.