In Gaborone, Botswana, authorities have announced the discovery of one of the largest diamonds ever found in the country, with a weight of 2,492 carats. The diamond, unearthed at the Karowe Mine, is considered the second-biggest diamond to be retrieved from a mine. Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. utilized X-ray technology to locate the “exceptional” rough diamond, which they described as high-quality and found fully intact.
Lucara’s president and CEO, William Lamb, expressed excitement about the recovery of the remarkable diamond, highlighting its significant size. This massive diamond is believed to be the largest found in over a century and ranks as the second-largest to be extracted from a mine, following the discovery of the Cullinan Diamond in South Africa in 1905, which weighed 3,106 carats and was eventually cut into gems for the British Crown Jewels.
The Botswana government announced plans to showcase the newly discovered diamond at the office of President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who will be among the first to examine it. Botswana, a major diamond producer, has been the site of several significant diamond discoveries in recent years, with the Karowe Mine alone producing four diamonds exceeding 1,000 carats. Prior to this find, the title of the second-largest mined diamond belonged to the Sewelo diamond, discovered at the same mine in 2019, weighing 1,758 carats and purchased by Louis Vuitton.
In 2017, the 1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, also from Botswana’s Karowe Mine, was acquired by a British jeweler for $53 million. Scientists note that natural diamonds are of immense age, with some believed to be more than 3 billion years old. The discovery of this enormous diamond further solidifies Botswana’s status as a significant player in the global diamond market, showcasing the country’s rich diamond mining heritage.
