One of the largest diamonds ever mined has been discovered in Botswana, the government of the southern African country announced on Wednesday.
The massive 2,492-carat diamond was discovered at the Karowe mine, which is known to have previously produced four diamonds of more than 1,000 carats. Botswana said the stone is believed to be the second largest ever discovered at a mine.
The Karowe mine is operated by Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp., which said in a statement Wednesday that it had recovered the “exceptional” rough diamond from the mine using X-ray technology. Lucara said the diamond was a “high-quality” stone and was found intact.
“We are thrilled with the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond,” Lucara Chairman and CEO William Lamb said in the statement.
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Lucara said it discovered the 2,492-carat diamond at its Karowe mine in Botswana. (Lucara Diamond Corp.)
The 2,492-carat stone is the largest diamond discovered in more than 100 years and the second largest ever mined after the Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan weighed 3,106 carats and was cut into precious stones, some of which are included in the British Crown Jewels.
The 2,492-carat diamond is estimated to be the second-largest diamond ever mined. (Lucara Diamond Corp.)
The newly discovered diamond will be showcased to the world at the office of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, the Botswana government said. Masisi will be one of the first to see it.
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Botswana is the second largest producer of diamonds and has mined all of the world’s largest stones in recent years.
The 1,758-carat Sewelo diamond was mined at the Karowe mine in 2019 and was recognized as the second-largest diamond mined in the world at the time. It was sold to French fashion house Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed amount.
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The mine also produced the 1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, which was purchased by a British jeweler for $53 million in 2017.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
