Janice R. Andrews
Botswana has found the biggest diamond in more than 100 years. It weighs an amazing 2,492 carats and is a historic find. The huge gem was found in the Karowe Mine and is the second-biggest diamond ever found in a mine, bigger than all but one other diamonds ever found. An important event held by Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Thursday showed off the amazing find.
The diamond, about the size of a fist and weighing about half a kilogram, was given to President Masisi at his office. The president was clearly moved when he saw the gem and said “wow” as he held it. “It is too much,” he said. “I feel lucky to have seen it.” The find was also open to senior government officials who wanted to take a closer look.
The diamond has not yet been given a value, and it has not yet been decided how it will be sold. History, on the other hand, shows that this gem could sell for a record-breaking amount of money. In 2016, a smaller diamond from the same mine was sold for a record $63 million. This shows how valuable this new find could be.
The Canadian company that runs the Karowe Mine, Lucara Diamond Corp., has a branch in Botswana, and its managing director, Naseem Lahri, was very proud of the finding. Lahri said, “This is history being made.” “I’m very proud.” Botswana is where it comes from. Lucara told the world about the find on Wednesday, calling the diamond a “exceptional” rough stone of good quality. Using modern X-ray equipment made to find big, valuable gems, the diamond was found whole.
William Lamb, President and CEO of Lucara, talked about how happy he was about the finding. In a statement, Lamb said, “We are thrilled that this amazing 2,492-carat diamond has been found.” Based on its weight and size, the diamond is the second biggest found in 119 years, after the famous Cullinan Diamond, which was found in South Africa in 1905. The 3,106-carat Cullinan was cut into many smaller gems, some of which are now in the British Crown Jewels.
In the history of gemology, the Cullinan is the largest diamond ever found. However, this newly found gem from Botswana is also very impressive. It also shows how important Botswana is as a big player in the diamond business around the world. With 2.6 million people, the country is the world’s second-largest source of raw diamonds, after Russia. In the past few years, Botswana has been the site of some of the biggest diamond finds in the world, adding to its image as a gem-filled treasure chest.
The Karowe Mine has been very productive. In the last ten years alone, it has given birth to four other diamonds bigger than 1,000 carats. The 1,758-carat Sewelo diamond, which was found in 2019, is one of these important finds. It was later bought by the French fashion house Louis Vuitton. The Lesedi La Rona diamond, which is also from Karowe and weighs 1,111 carats, was bought by a British dealer for $53 million in 2017. The Constellation, another gem from the mine, sold for a record $63 million.
While everyone waits for the next part of this diamond’s story, the finding serves as a reminder of the natural wonders that are hidden below the earth’s surface and waiting to be found by those who are willing to look for them.
