GABORONE: The world’s second largest diamond ever discovered has been found in a mine positioned in Botswana, which is without doubt one of the world’s largest diamond producers, the Canadian mining firm introduced on Thursday.
The large 2,492-carat diamond was found on the Karowe Diamond Mine in northeastern Botswana utilizing X-ray detection know-how, Lucara Diamond Corp. stated in an announcement.
Lucara didn’t give a worth for the discover or point out its high quality. However by way of carat weight, the stone is second solely to the three,016-carat Cullinan Diamond found in South Africa in 1905.
“We’re ecstatic concerning the restoration of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond,” Lucara Chairman William Lamb stated within the assertion.
Pictures launched by the corporate present that the diamond is the dimensions of the palm of a hand.
This discovery was “one of many largest tough diamonds ever unearthed” and was detected utilizing the corporate’s Mega Diamond Restoration X-ray know-how, put in in 2017 to determine and protect massive, high-value diamonds, the assertion stated.
Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi was as a result of view the huge stone in a while Thursday. His authorities stated it was the second largest on the earth.
Tobias Kormind, managing director of Europe’s largest on-line diamond jeweller 77 Diamonds, confirmed that it was the most important tough diamond found for the reason that Cullinan Diamond, elements of which adorn the British Crown Jewels.
“This discovery is basically as a result of newer know-how that permits bigger diamonds to be extracted from the bottom with out breaking into items. So we’ll in all probability see extra the place that got here from,” he stated.
Botswana is without doubt one of the world’s largest producers of diamonds, its important supply of revenue, accounting for 30% of its GDP and 80% of its exports.
Earlier than the invention was introduced on Thursday, the most important diamond found in Botswana was a 1,758-carat stone mined by Lucara on the Karowe mine in 2019 and named Sewelo.
Lucara discovered a 1,174-carat diamond in Botswana in 2021 utilizing the identical X-ray know-how.
