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Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp has unearthed a truly massive 2,492-carat diamond, believed to be the second biggest ever found, in Botswana.

The huge stone is considered the biggest stone since the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905.

The company hailed the discovery as “remarkable” and declared it to be “one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed.” The stone will now be properly evaluated over the coming weeks.

The business’s Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology, which is intended to “identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds,” allowed for its detection, unearthing, and recovery, according to a news statement from the company.

William Lamb, president and chief executive officer of Lucara, expressed his excitement over the remarkable 2,492-carat diamond’s recovery.

“This discovery symbolizes Botswana’s continued ascent as a global leader in diamond production. It represents not only the unparalleled wealth found in Botswana’s soil, but also the remarkable progress the nation has made in developing its diamond industry for the benefit of its citizens”

Lucara Diamond Corp seems to be very lucky and has found six of the top 10 diamonds ever discovered.

 

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Prior to the latest announcement, the second largest discovery was thought to be the Lesedi La Rona, a 1,109-carat stone also found by Lucara at the Karowe mine in 2015. The diamond was sold to luxury jeweller Graff for $53 million (R1 billion) two years later.

Mokgweetsi Masisi, the president of Botswana, is expected to receive the diamond on Thursday, according to Reuters.

As the largest diamond producer in the world in terms of value, Botswana proposed a law last month requiring mining corporations to sell a 24% stake to local investors after obtaining licenses, unless the government chooses to purchase the stock.

The world-famous 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was discovered in 1905 in the Premier Mine in the old Transvaal. That rock, however, was chopped into smaller stones – some of which can be found in the crown jewels owned by the British royal family.

[source:cnn]