Lucara Diamond Corp., a Canadian mining company, announced the discovery of an almost 2,500-carat diamond in Botswana on Aug. 21.
Lucara held a viewing ceremony for the largest diamond found in over a century with the Botswana President, Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi. Masisi congratulated the company on the record-breaking discovery and spoke on the importance of mining for the country.
“It also goes to show Botswana and the world how important mining with governance, particularly diamond mining, is to Botswana. They mean everything to us.” Masisi said in a news conference.
The 2,492-carat diamond is the second-largest diamond ever dug out of a mine. It was unearthed from the Karowe Mine through Lucara’s X-ray Transmission technology (XRT), which spots and conserves high-value diamonds. The top spot is held by the famous 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond found in 1905 in South Africa. The diamond was given to the British royal family and incorporated into some parts of the British Crown Jewels.
“We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond. This find not only showcases the remarkable potential of our Karowe Mine, but also upholds our strategic investment in cutting-edge XRT technology.” said Willam Lamb, president and CEO of Lucara.
According to a report by GlobalData, Botswana is the second largest producer of diamonds behind Russia. Lucara has discovered three other large diamonds in Botswana in the last decade.
An 813-carat Constellation was found in 2016 and sold for a record-breaking $63.1 Million. A year later, the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona was discovered in the Karowe Mine and sold to British jeweler Laurence Graff for $53 Million.
Before the 2,492-carat diamond was discovered, Lucara’s largest recovered diamond was the 1,758-carat Sewelô diamond found in 2019. It was bought by Louis Vuitton, a luxury French fashion house, for an undisclosed amount.