Biggest Diamond in over a century Discovered in Botswana

Botswana announced the discovery of the largest diamond found in the southern African country and the world's second-largest.

The exceptional 2,492-carat stone was presented at viewing ceremony Thursday (Aug. 22).

The as-yet-unnamed diamond was presented to the world at the office of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi. It weighs approximately half a kilogram and Masisi was one of the first to get to hold it.

“It is overwhelming,” Masisi said. "I am lucky to have seen it in my time.” He gasped and said “wow" before calling senior government officials over to take a closer look.

Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. said in a statement Wednesday (Aug. 21) that it recovered the rough diamond from its Karowe Mine in the country's north.

Lucara said it was a "high-quality" stone and was found intact. It was located using X-ray technology.

Officials said it was too early to value the stone or decide how it would be sold. Another smaller diamond from the same mine in Botswana was sold for $63 million in 2016, a record for a rough gem.

Botswana is the second-biggest producer of diamonds behind Russia and has unearthed all of the world's biggest stones in recent years.

Diamonds are formed when carbon atoms are squeezed together under high pressure deep underground. Scientists say natural diamonds are at least a billion years old, some more than 3 billion years old.

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.

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

Botswana has unearthed all of the world's biggest stones in recent years. The Karowe Mine has produced four other diamonds over 1,000 carats in the last decade.

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.