Formed around 3.3 billion years ago under intense heat and pressure deep within the Earth’s crust, diamonds were found for the first time in India back in the 4th century BC. They reached Europe only in the 13th century and it was believed that these mystical and powerful stones were tears from the Gods.
Lucara Diamond Corp.’s Karowe diamond mine, located in Botswana, has been discovering large, high-quality diamonds since 2012 and got really thrilled when they recently found an incredibly huge rough 2,492-carat diamond - the largest ever seen in the last 120 years since the discovery of the world-famous Cullinan Diamond.
More info: Lucara Diamond
Lucara Diamond Corp. announced the remarkable discovery of an exceptional 2,492-carat diamond found in Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana
Image credits: Lucara Diamond
Image credits: Lucara Diamond
Image credits: Lucara Diamond
The remarkable discovery of one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed was made 300 miles north of Botswana's capital, Gaborone, by the company's Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology, which was installed back in 2017 to be able to identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds.
Besides the other significant finds from the mine in company's past, including the 1,758-carat Sewelô and the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, with this new precious stone, Lucara reaffirmed its position as a leading producer of large, exceptional diamonds.
"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," excitedly shared William Lamb, the president and CEO of Lucara.
"The ability to recover such a massive, high-quality stone intact demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach to diamond recovery and our commitment to maximizing value for our shareholders and stakeholders."
For Botswana, this unique finding is much more than just showing a global leadership in diamond production, since the country has made truly remarkable progress in developing its diamond industry for the benefit of its citizens by funding critical areas such as education and healthcare.
"For our people, every diamond purchase represents food on the table, better living conditions, better healthcare, potable and safe drinking water, more roads to connect our remote communities, and much more," explained Festus Mogae, the former president of Botswana.
It's the largest rough diamond found in the last 120 years since the discovery of the world-famous Cullinan Diamond
Image credits: Lucara Diamond
Image credits: Lucara Diamond
The recently discovered diamond appears to be not so far behind the largest gem-quality diamond ever mined - the 3,016.75-carat Cullinan. It was found at the Premier No.2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa, on the 26th of January in 1905 and named after Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine.
At the time, the diamond was given to King Edward VII of the United Kingdom as his 66th birthday gift and later cut into smaller pieces, some of which formed part of the British royal family’s crown jewels.
Despite the impressive size of the Cullinan Diamond, some experts think it belonged to an even bigger stone.
Yet when it comes to records, Cullinan isn't technically the largest rough diamond in history, since this title belongs to the Sergio Diamond (weighing nearly 3,170 carats), which was found in Brazil in 1895 by Sérgio Borges de Carvalho.
Unlike other standard, sparkling ones, the Sergio is solid black carbonado diamond and besides its unusual appearance, there are lots of myths about where it came from. While some of the researchers believe that carbonado diamonds are the result of ancient meteors embedded in the earth’s crust, others suggest that they were formed in space following a supernova explosion.
With its value over $600 million, the Sergio Diamond was sold in 1896 to I. K. Gulland of London, who broke it into smaller pieces for industrial use, such as diamond drills.
The diamond was detected by Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology, installed in 2017 to identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds
Image credits: Lucara Diamond
Image credits: Lucara Diamond
Image credits: Lucara Diamond
While Lucara Diamond Corp. is continuing making significant diamond discoveries on Earth, NASA's scientists recently announced that Mercury, below its grey surface, may hide a diamond layer which could be as thick as 200 meters, with diamonds much larger than ones found on our planet.
Who knows, maybe the precious gem mining race soon will move into space?
People on the internet cheered the company for such a remarkable discovery
