A Canadian company dug out the second-largest diamond ever found on Earth, which weighs 2,492 carats and was unearthed in Botswana. The Vancouver-based Lucara Diamond Corp. announced this impressive discovery in a press release, showcasing photos of the fist-sized rock. The historic diamond, weighing half a kilogram, was unveiled at a viewing ceremony held at the office of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi. Naseem Lahri, the Botswana managing director for Lucara, expressed pride in this find, calling it a product of Botswana.
Officials mentioned that it was too early to determine the value or sale of the diamond. However, a similar diamond from the same mine sold for a record $63 million in 2016. This diamond named the Constellation, was much smaller at 813 carats compared to the recent massive find. The largest diamond ever discovered is the Cullinan Diamond, measuring 3,106 carats, which was later divided into several cut diamonds now part of the British Crown Jewels.
Lucara’s Karowe Mine has been a significant source of large diamonds in recent years. Since 2012, the mine has yielded at least 328 diamonds over 100 carats. This latest discovery broke the company’s record, surpassing a 1,758-carat diamond found in 2019 named the Sewelo Diamond.
Diamonds form when carbon atoms compress under high pressure deep underground. Most diamonds are over a billion years old, and some are even older. Botswana is the world’s second-largest producer of natural diamonds, trailing behind Russia, and has recently unearthed many large diamonds.
The Sergio carbonado, a unique impure black diamond, discovered above ground in Brazil, was broken up into smaller pieces to be used in industrial applications. Carbonado is a high-density form of natural diamond and is known to be one of the toughest materials on Earth.
Other Stories
DeepMind employees protest Google’s defense contracts