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The biggest diamonds ever found<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n R854 million for the biggest diamond in 100 years<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
Sotheby’s auctioneer in London says that a diamond the size of a tennis ball may fetch up to $70 million (R1.04 billion) when it goes up for auction in June.<\/p>\n
The company said it will auction the 1,109 – carat \u201cLesedi la Rona\u201d diamond – the largest gem-quality rough diamond to be discovered in over a century, in a stand-alone sale
\nin London on 29 June 2016.<\/p>\n
“Estimated to\u00a0 achieve in excess of $70 million, the Lesedi la Rona (‘Our Light’ in the Tswana language spoken in Botswana) was uncovered by Lucara Diamond Corp in November 2015, at the Karowe mine in Botswana.<\/p>\n
“Around the size of a tennis ball (measuring approximately 66.4 x 55 x 42 mm), this\u00a0 colossal rough diamond of exceptional transparency and quality is around 2.5 to over 3 billion years old,” Sotheby’s said.<\/p>\n
In terms of its size, the rough diamond is exceeded only by the legendary Cullinan Diamond, mined in South Africa in 1905.<\/p>\n
The 3016.75-carat\u00a0 Cullinan Diamond produced nine major diamonds that are part of the\u00a0 historic Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, including the Great Star of Africa \u2013 currently the largest top-quality polished diamond in existence, weighing 530.20 carats.<\/p>\n
The Lesedi la Rona could surpass the record price for a diamond of $48.5 million, paid by Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau at a Geneva sale last year for the 12.03-carat polished Blue Moon diamond.<\/p>\n
Lau wanted the diamond as a gift for his seven-year-old daughter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The biggest diamonds ever found<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n R854 million for the biggest diamond in 100 years<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nMore on diamonds<\/h3>\n