The second largest diamond in the world has been unearthed in Botswana, one of the world’s leading diamond producers. The diamond, weighing 2,492 carats, was discovered in Karowe mine in northeastern Botswana.
Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond revealed the diamond on Thursday. In a press release, Lucara described it as “one of the largest rough diamonds ever discovered.”
The Botswana government and several experts have said the diamond is the second largest ever discovered. The largest diamond ever found was the “Cullinan” in South Africa in 1905. It weighed 3,100 carats.
Lucara’s general manager in Botswana visited the country’s president, Mokgweets Masisi, and presented the diamond to him.
While congratulating the company, President Masisi said,
I am told that this is the largest diamond discovered in Botswana to date and the second largest in the world. With a diamond of this size, you can build roads, he added.
In 2017, a 1,109-carat diamond discovered at Karowe was purchased for $53 million by the chairman of Graff Diamonds based in London, Laurence Graff.
Botswana government receives a 10 per cent royalty from the gross sales value of diamonds mined in Karowe by Lucara company.
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