Gaborone, Botswana — A colossal 2,492-carat rough diamond, believed to be the second-largest ever discovered, has been unearthed in Botswana. This exceptional find, announced by Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp., is the largest diamond unearthed since the historic 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905.
The enormous gem was discovered at Lucara’s Karowe mine and is being celebrated as one of the largest rough diamonds ever found. The diamond was detected, extracted, and recovered using Lucara’s state-of-the-art Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology, which is specifically designed to identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds.
William Lamb, the president and CEO of Lucara, expressed the company’s excitement, calling the diamond an “extraordinary” find. The diamond will undergo further evaluation in the coming weeks to determine its full value and quality.
Prior to this discovery, the second-largest diamond was thought to be the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, also found at the Karowe mine by Lucara in 2015. That diamond was later sold to luxury jeweler Graff for $53 million.
Lucara has now found six of the top 10 largest diamonds ever discovered, solidifying its reputation as a leader in the diamond mining industry. The newly unearthed diamond is expected to be presented to Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi, highlighting the significance of this discovery for the world’s largest diamond producer by value.
This discovery comes at a time when Botswana has proposed new legislation requiring mining companies to offer a 24% stake in mines to local investors, unless the government opts to acquire the shareholding. This move aims to increase local participation in the country’s lucrative diamond industry.
The Cullinan Diamond, discovered in 1905, was eventually cut into several smaller stones, some of which are now part of the British royal family’s crown jewels. The discovery of this new diamond in Botswana adds another chapter to the storied history of the world’s most precious gems.
