Largest uncut diamond in recent history found in Botswana mine

TORONTO – Lucara Diamond Corp. has unearthed the largest uncut diamond in recent history in its Karowe mine in Botswana, the Canadian company said on Thursday, beating its own record discovery from November 2015 that it struggled to sell for nearly two years.

The 1,758-carat diamond, larger than a tennis ball, weighs close to 352 grams (12.42 ounces), Lucara said in a statement. The stone is second in size only to the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, recovered in South Africa in 1905.

The stone is the latest in a series of high-value recoveries for the company at Karowe. Since introducing its XRT diamond recovery technology, Lucara has recovered 12 diamonds over 300 carats, including a 472-carat and a 327-carat diamond in April 2018.

The 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, which Lucara recovered in November 2015, failed to meet its undisclosed reserve price at a June 2016 auction, putting pressure on the company’s shares. British diamond dealer Graff Diamonds finally bought it for $53 million in September 2017.

Forbes reported late last year that Graff had created 67 finished gems from the stone.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

LATEST WORLD STORIES

South Sudan's former child soldiers struggle to move on

An estimated 19,000 child soldiers are in South Sudan, one of the highest rates in the world, according to the United Nations. As the country emerges from civil war, some worry the fighting coul...

Facebook announces steps to clamp down on misinformation ahead of 2020 U.S. election

Facebook Inc. has announced steps to combat misinformation and voter suppression ahead of the November 2020 U.S. presidential election, on the same day it disclosed the removal of a network of R...

Justin Trudeau's Liberals win Canada vote and will form minority government

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party held onto power in a nail-biter of a general election on Monday in Canada, but as a weakened minority government. Television projections as o...