2nd largest diamond ever pulled from a mine unearthed in Botswana, officials say

Gaborone, Botswana — Botswana says one of the largest diamonds ever found has been unearthed at one of its mines and will be put on show on Thursday. The Botswana government believes the huge 2,492-carat stone is the biggest discovered in the country, and the second-biggest ever brought out of a mine.

Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. said in a statement Wednesday that it recovered the “exceptional” rough diamond from its Karowe Mine in western Botswana. Lucara said it was a “high-quality” stone and was found intact. It was located using X-ray technology.

The weight would make it the largest diamond found in more than 100 years and the second-largest ever dug out of a mine after the Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was 3,106 carats and was cut into gems, some of which form part of the British Crown Jewels.

“This find not only showcases the remarkable potential of our Karowe Mine, but also upholds our strategic investment in cutting-edge XRT technology. The ability to recover such a massive, high-quality stone intact demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach to diamond recovery and our commitment to maximizing value for our shareholders and stakeholders,” William Lamb, President and CEO of Lucara, said in a statement provided by the company. “This discovery reinforces Karowe’s position as a truly world-class diamond mine.”

A bigger black diamond was discovered in Brazil in the late 1800s, but it was found on the surface and was believed to have been part of a meteorite.

Botswana is the second biggest producer of diamonds and has unearthed all of the world’s biggest stones in recent years.

Before this discovery, the Sewelo diamond, which was found at the Karowe Mine in 2019, was recognized as the second-biggest mined diamond in the world at 1,758 carats. It was bought by French fashion house Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed amount.

The 1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, also from Botswana’s Karowe Mine, was bought by a British jeweller for $53 million in 2017.