Botswana diamond could be second-largest gem mined in history

A 2,492-carat diamond discovered in Botswana could be the second-largest of the gem ever unearthed.

Canadian mining company, Lucara Diamond, said in a statement on Wednesday that the "exceptional” rough diamond - found using x-ray technology - was discovered in the Botswanan Karowe Mine.

Weighing in as the largest diamond found in over a century, this discovery ranks as the second-largest ever mined, following the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond unearthed in South Africa in 1905.

Lucara’s president, William Lamb, said: “We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond.”

The diamond will be presented to the world at the office of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Thursday, the Botswanan government said.

The government noted that this is the largest diamond ever found in Botswana, the world's second-biggest diamond producer.

In recent years, Botswana has unearthed all of the world's largest diamonds.

The Karowe Mine, where the discovery was made, has previously yielded four diamonds over 1,000 carats.

Before this discovery, the Sewelo diamond, found at the Karowe Mine in 2019, was recognised as the second-biggest mined diamond in the world at 1,758 carats.

It was bought by the French fashion house Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed amount.

The 1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, also from Karowe Mine, was bought by a British jeweller for $53 million (£40,500,000) in 2017.Scientists state that natural diamonds are at least one billion years old, with some being over three billion years old.

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