Botswana declared on Thursday the unearthing of one of the largest diamonds in the world in the Karowe diamond mine, reported BBC.
The 2,492-carat stone is the biggest stone discovered in the country, and the second-largest in the world. The world’s biggest diamond is the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond that was unearthed in South Africa in 1905. It was then divided into 9 smaller gems, many of which are among jewels adorning the British Crown.
The Canadian company Lucara, the Karowe mine’s owner, said in a statement that the discovered stone is “one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed.”
The company added that it used Lucara’s Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology to detect the stone. This technology has been utilized since 2017 to identify and sort high-value diamonds without breaking them during mining processes.
In the light of this, the President and CEO of Lucara, William Lamb, said: “This find not only showcases the remarkable potential of our Karowe Mine, but also upholds our strategic investment in cutting-edge XRT technology.”
However, Lucara did not give details about the diamond’s quality or value. The stone is expected to be sold to a large jewelry or fashion house.
The giant unnamed diamond was presented to Botswana’s President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, at his office before being shown to the world.
Botswana is one of the largest diamond producers in the world, constituting about 20% of the global production. Its last biggest discovery was a 1,758-carat stone in the Karowe diamond mine in 2019.
The south African country has been trying to increase its influence in the industry. Hence, it has proposed a law to increase local firms’ share in mining licenses granted to companies.
