The South African government of Botswana announced on Wednesday that one of the largest diamonds ever recovered from a mine has been discovered in Botswana.
The massive 2,492-carat diamond was found at the Karowe mine, known to have previously produced four diamonds over 1,000 carats. Botswana said the stone is believed to be the second-largest ever found at the mine.
The Karowe mine is operated by Canadian mining company Lucara Diamonds, which said in a statement on Wednesday that it had used X-ray technology to recover an “exceptional” diamond from the mine. Lucara said the diamond was a “high-quality” stone and was found intact.
“We are thrilled with the recovery of this incredible 2,492 carat diamond,” Lucara president and CEO William Lamb said in a statement.
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Lucara has announced the discovery of a 2,492 carat diamond at its Karowe mine in Botswana. (Lucara Diamond Co., Ltd.)
At 2,492 carats, the rough stone is the largest diamond found in over 100 years and the second largest diamond ever recovered from a mine after the Cullinan diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan weighs 3,106 carats and has been cut into gemstones, some of which are part of the British Crown Jewels.
At 2,492 carats, the diamond is believed to be the second largest ever recovered from a mine. (Lucara Diamond Co., Ltd.)
The Botswana government has announced that the newly discovered diamond will be unveiled to the world in the office of Botswana’s President Mokgwetsi Masisi, who will be one of the first people to see it.
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Botswana is the world’s second largest diamond producer, and in recent years has unearthed all of the world’s largest diamonds.
The 1,758-carat Sewero diamond was extracted from the Karowe mine in 2019 and was recognized as the second-largest mined diamond 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.
