World’s second-largest diamond found in Botswana
A rough 2,492-carat diamond, the second-largest ever discovered, has been unearthed in Botswana at a mine owned by Canadian company Lucara Diamond. This remarkable find is the biggest since the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, found in South Africa in 1905 and later cut into nine stones, many of which are part of the British Crown Jewels.
The diamond was discovered at the Karowe mine, located roughly 500km (300 miles) north of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone. According to Botswana’s government, this is the largest diamond ever found in the country. The previous record was held by a 1,758-carat diamond, also discovered at the same mine in 2019.
Botswana is one of the leading diamond producers globally, responsible for approximately 20% of the world’s diamond production. In a statement, Lucara described the find as “one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed.”
“We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond,” said Lucara head William Lamb.
The firm did not give details of the stone’s gem quality or its value.
The diamond was detected with the use of Lucara’s Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology, said Mr Lamb.
It has been used since 2017 to detect and preserve high-value diamonds so that they do not break during ore-crushing processes, according to the Miningmx publication.
Lucara has 100% ownership of the mine in Karowe.
Botswana’s government has proposed a law that will ask companies, once granted a license to mine, to sell a 24% stake to local firms if the government does not exercise its option of becoming a shareholder, Reuters news agency reported last month.
