Lucara Diamond Corp says it has uncovered a 1,111 carat gem quality, Type IIa diamond, in Botswana.
The diamond producer said the stone which originated from the south lobe of Lucara’s Karowe Mine, is the world’s second largest gem quality diamond ever recovered and the largest ever to be recovered through a modern processing facility.
The stone measures 65mm x 56mm x 40mm in size and is the largest ever to be recovered in Botswana.
“The significance of the recovery of a gem quality stone larger than 1,000 carats, the largest for more than a century and the continued recovery of high quality stones from the south lobe, cannot be overstated,” said William Lamb, President and CEO of Lucara.
“Our focus on mining the south lobe, which is delivering value beyond expectation, has been perfectly timed with the commissioning of our recent plant modifications, enabling the recovery of these large, high quality exceptional diamonds.”
Earlier this month, Hong Kong tycoon Joseph Lau bought a 12.03-carat blue diamond at an auction in Geneva for a record $48.4 million.
Lau said he bought the ring-mounted, cushion-shaped stone for his young daughter, renaming it “Blue Moon of Josephine” after her.
Auction house Sotheby’s said the sale had set “a new world auction record for any diamond of any colour”.
The diamond had been discovered at Cullinan mine in South Africa in 2014, and originally weighed in at 29.93 carats before its transformation.
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