Massive diamond unearthed in Botswana: Second largest in history

A massive 2,492-carat diamond, the second-largest ever discovered, has been unearthed at the Karowe mine in Botswana, owned by the Canadian company Lucara Diamond. This remarkable find is the largest since the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1905, which was later cut into nine stones, several of which are part of the British Crown Jewels.

The diamond was discovered approximately 500 kilometers north of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone. According to the Botswana government, this is the largest diamond ever found in the country, surpassing the previous record held by a 1,758-carat stone also discovered at the Karowe mine in 2019.

Botswana, one of the world’s leading diamond producers, accounts for about 20% of global diamond production. In a statement, Lucara Diamond described the stone as “one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed.” The company’s head, William Lamb, expressed excitement over the discovery, emphasizing the extraordinary nature of the diamond.

The diamond was detected using Lucara’s Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology, a system implemented since 2017 to identify and preserve high-value diamonds during the ore-crushing process, preventing them from breaking.

While Lucara has not disclosed details about the gem quality or the potential value of the diamond, previous discoveries from the same mine have fetched substantial sums. For instance, the 1,758-carat stone found in 2019 was purchased by French fashion brand Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed amount, and a 1,109-carat diamond found in 2016 was sold for $53 million to London jeweler Laurence Graff in 2017. Lucara Diamond holds 100% ownership of the Karowe mine, where this extraordinary discovery was made. Meanwhile, Botswana’s government has proposed legislation that would require mining companies to offer a 24% stake to local firms if the government does not opt to become a shareholder, according to a recent report by Reuters.