A 2,492-carat raw diamond discovered in Botswana is believed to be the world’s second-largest gem-quality sample ever unearthed, behind only the famed Cullinan diamond.
The world's second-largest diamond, discovered in Botswana. (Lucara Diamond Corp)
The gigantic gemstone was found in Botswana’s Karowe diamond mine, which is wholly owned by Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp.
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“We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond,” Lucara’s president, William Lamb, said in a statement.
Lucara did not disclose details of the diamond's quality or its value. However, the Financial Times quoted unnamed sources close to Lucara estimating that it could fetch upwards of $40 million.
The diamond was detected and recovered by the company's Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology, installed in 2017 to identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds. Lamb said the discovery upheld Lucara’s investment in XRT technology as well as the potential of its Karowe mine, which has yielded some massive finds over the last few years.
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In 2019, a 1,758-carat diamond found in the mine was purchased by luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton. Before that, in 2010, Graff Diamonds had bought the 1,109 carat diamond found in Karowe in 2016 for a staggering $53 million.
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In 2019, a 1,758-carat diamond found in the mine was purchased by luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton. Before that, in 2010, Graff Diamonds had bought the 1,109 carat diamond found in Karowe in 2016 for a staggering $53 million.
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“This discovery reinforces Karowe's position as a truly world-class diamond mine and highlights the continued success of our operational and underground development strategy,” said William Lamb.
The Cullinan diamond remains the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered at 3,106 carats. It was mined in South Africa in 1905 and cut up into several smaller stones.
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.
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Home/Trending/World's second-largest diamond found in Botswana, could fetch over $40 million
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