World’s second largest diamond discovered in Botswana | 2,492 carats, which is the size of a tennis ball

A A diamond of exceptional size, the second largest in the world Weighing 2,492 carats and barely fitting in the palm of a hand, it was discovered at a mine in Botswana, Canada’s mining agency announced Thursday.

The gem was found in the Garoway mine in the north-east of the country “One of the largest rough diamonds ever discovered”Lucara stressed in a statement.

Botswana is the largest African diamond producer and according to its government and many experts, it could be the second largest ever discovered on the planet. In terms of carats, it is not far from the world’s largest known diamond, the “Cullinan” of more than 3,100 carats, which was unearthed in South Africa in 1905.

“We are delighted to have recovered this extraordinary diamond,” Lucara CEO William Lamb was quoted as saying in the statement. The mining company did not specify the value of the find or its quality, but will soon release the find to the press. President Mokwetsi Masisi will also attend the meeting in the country’s capital, Gaborone.

Tobias Gormint, CEO of 77Diamonds, Europe’s largest online jeweler, said: “The historic discovery of this hard diamond, which has been so important for 120 years, is exciting.

Diagnosis by X-ray

According to him, this large, semi-translucent stone was “the largest rough diamond discovered since the discovery of the Cullinan diamond”, which was cut into several pieces, lOften “set in the British Crown Jewels”.

The discovery is “largely due to the latest technology” of X-ray detection, developed by Lucara and used since 2017. The tool “allows the extraction of large gemstones from the ground without breaking them into pieces,” the expert emphasized. “So, we will look at others,” he added.

Botswana, home to 2.6 million people, is one of the world’s largest diamond producers, making it its main source of income. 30% of GDP and 80% of exports.

In his report, he noted that these revenues provide “significant socioeconomic benefits” to Botswana, such as the potential to fund “essential sectors such as education and health” and infrastructure.

Before the discovery was announced on Thursday, the largest diamond ever found in Botswana was a 1,758-carat stone, mined by Lucara in 2019 and named Chevelo.

The tennis ball-sized gem was bought by Louis Vuitton House, the flagship brand of luxury conglomerate LVMH.. The sale price was not disclosed.

Lucara recalled that in 2021 a 1,174-carat diamond was already found in Botswana, thanks to the same X-ray technology used this week.