A 2,492-carat diamond has been unearthed in a mine in Botswana. Source: Steven Depolo, Wikimedia Commons.
The world’s second-largest diamond ever found has been unearthed in a mine in Botswana.
The country’s president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, showed off the 2,492-carot diamond in his office at a viewing ceremony on Thursday 22 August.
It is overwhelming,” Masisi said. “I am lucky to have seen it in my time.”
As he posed for photos with the diamond, Masisi remarked, “With a diamond of this magnitude, I can see roads being built.”
The diamond was found in the Karowe Diamond mine using Canadian Lucara Diamond Corp’s — the company that mined the stone — advanced Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology.
The Botswana government confirmed it was the biggest diamond found since 1905 — a 3,016-carat Cullinan Diamond which was discovered in South Africa.
“We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond,” Lucara chief executive William Lamb said in a statement.
“This find not only showcases the remarkable potential of our Karowe Mine, but also upholds our strategic investment in cutting-edge XRT technology.”
“This discovery reinforces Karowe’s position as a truly world-class diamond mine and highlights the continued success of our operational and underground development strategy.”
Lucara has yet to provide an estimated value of the diamond, which is usually determined by carat weigh, colour, cut, and clarity.
In 2019, Lucara recovered the 1,758-carat Sewelo diamond, which was thought to be the second-largest diamond until this week’s discovery. It was sold to Lous Vuitton for an undisclosed sum.
In 2021, they found a 1,174-carat diamond in Botswana using the same x-ray technology.
In the past decade, Karowe mine has produced four other diamonds weighing over 1,000 carats.
While Russia is considered the world’s largest diamond producer, Botswana has recently been the site of the largest valuable discoveries, accounting for 20 percent of global production.
