It is believed to be the largest pink diamond find in the last 300 years since the Daria-i-Noor. Source: Lucapa Diamond Company via Africa Facts Zone, Twitter.
Australia’s Lucapa Diamond Company has found a historic 170-carat stone, named the “Lulo Rose”, after the Angolan mine it came from.
The Lulo Rose weighs 34 grams and is believed to be the largest pink diamond mined since the 185-carat Daria-i-Noor that was cut from a larger stone and is currently among the Iranian crown jewels collection.
It is a type 2a diamond, one of the rarest and purest forms of natural stones containing few or no impurities.
Lulo is an alluvial mine which means the stones are recovered from a river bed.
The Lucapa company searches for the underground deposits, known as kimberlite pipes, that are the main source for diamonds.
Angola is one of the top 10 producers of diamonds in the world and this mine in the country’s diamond rich north-east has already produced the two largest diamonds ever found in Angola, including a 404-carat clear diamond.
According to Lucapa, 27 diamonds of 100 carats or more have been found at the Lulo mine.
The Angolan government is also a partner in the mine and welcomed the historic find.
“This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage for diamond mining and demonstrates the potential and rewards for commitment and investment in our growing diamond mining industry,” said Diamantino Azevedo, Angola’s Mineral Resources Minister.
The diamond will be sold by international tender by Sodiam, the Angolan state diamond marketing company, likely for a staggering price.
To determine its true value, the stone will need to be cut and polished in a process that could see it lose half its weight.
Similar pink diamonds were bought for tens of millions of dollars in the past.
The 59.6-carat diamond known as the Pink Star was sold at an auction in Hong Kong for US$71.2 million (over A$102 million).
