2,492-carat diamond found in Botswana; largest since 1905
A 2,492-carat diamond found in Botswana is the largest diamond to be unearthed in more than a century.
According to the Botswana government, the fist-sized, "exceptional" rough diamond is the second-biggest diamond to be discovered in a mine. It’s the largest one found since 1905.
"It is overwhelming," Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi said between gasps at a viewing ceremony Thursday. "I am lucky to have seen it in my time."
Botswanas President Mokgweetsi Masisi looks at a large diamond discovered in Botswana at his office in Gaborone on August 22, 2024. The 2492 carat diamond was discovered in the Karowe mine in Botswana of Lucara Diamond Company. (Photo by MONIRUL BHUI
The as-yet-unnamed diamond weighs about a half a kilogram (1.1 pounds). The weight would make it the largest diamond found in 119 years and the second-largest ever dug out of a mine after the Cullinan Diamond that was discovered in South Africa in 1905. The famous Cullinan was 3,106 carats and was cut into gems, some of which form part of the British Crown Jewels.
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It’s too early to determine this stone’s value or decide how it will be sold, officials said. A smaller diamond from the same mine in Botswana was sold for a record $63 million in 2016.
With a population of 2.6 million people, Botswana is second only to Russia in natural diamond production – all of the world’s biggest diamonds have been found in the south African country in recent years.
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Scientists say most diamonds are at least a billion years old and some of them more than 3 billion years old.