2nd largest diamond ever pulled from a mine unearthed in Botswana, officials say

Gaborone, Botswana — Botswana says one of the largest diamonds ever found has been unearthed in one of its mines and will go on display Thursday. Botswana’s government believes the massive 2,492 carat stone is the largest ever discovered in the country and the second largest ever taken out of a mine.

Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. said in a statement on Wednesday that it recovered the “exceptional” rough diamond from its Karowe mine in western Botswana. Lucara said it was a “high quality” stone and was found intact. It was located using X-ray technology.

The weight would do it largest diamond found in more than 100 years and the second largest ever excavated from a mine after the Cullinan diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was 3,106 carats and was cut into gems, some of which form part of the British Crown Jewels.

“This find not only demonstrates the remarkable potential of our Karowe mine, but also sustains our strategic investment in cutting-edge XRT technology. The ability to recover such a massive, high-quality rock intact demonstrates the effectiveness of our diamond recovery strategy and our commitment to to maximize value for our shareholders and stakeholders,” William Lamb, president and CEO of Lucara, said in a company statement. “This discovery reinforces Karowe’s position as a truly world-class diamond mine.”

A larger black diamond was discovered in Brazil in the late 19th century, but it was found on the surface and was thought to have been part of a meteorite.

Botswana is the second largest producer of diamonds and has unearthed all the world’s largest stones in recent years.

Prior to this discovery, the Sewelo diamond, found at the Karowe mine in 2019, was recognized as the second largest mined diamond in the world at 1,758 carats. It was bought by French fashion house Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed sum.

The 1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, also from Botswana’s Karowe mine, was bought by a British jeweler for $53 million in 2017.