World's second largest diamond discovered in Botswana

GABORONE: In a monumental discovery, a Canadian mining company announced on Thursday that it has unearthed the world's second-largest diamond at its mine in Botswana, one of the globe's leading diamond-producing nations.

The enormous 2,492-carat diamond was found at the Karowe Diamond Mine in northeastern Botswana using advanced x-ray detection technology, according to a statement released by Lucara Diamond Corp. The company, however, has yet to disclose the diamond's value or its quality, leaving much anticipation in the air regarding its significance.

This extraordinary gem is second in size only to the famous 3,016-carat Cullinan Diamond, which was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and remains the largest diamond ever found. The Cullinan Diamond was subsequently cut into several major gemstones, some of which are now part of the British Crown Jewels.

Lucara's president, William Lamb, expressed the company's excitement over the discovery, stating, "We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond." The company shared images of the diamond, revealing a stone large enough to fit comfortably in the palm of a hand, underscoring the significance of this find.

This remarkable diamond was identified using Lucara's Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology, which was installed in 2017 specifically to detect and preserve large, high-value diamonds. The statement emphasized that this technology played a crucial role in the recovery of one of the largest rough diamonds ever discovered.

Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi was scheduled to view the diamond later that day. The Botswana government acknowledged the find, confirming that it is indeed the second-largest diamond in the world.

Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, Europe's largest online diamond jeweler, affirmed the significance of the discovery, noting that it is the largest rough diamond to be unearthed since the Cullinan Diamond. He attributed the find to newer technology, which has made it possible to extract larger diamonds from the ground without breaking them into smaller pieces, suggesting that more discoveries of this magnitude could be on the horizon.

Botswana, which is among the world's largest diamond producers, relies heavily on the diamond industry as its main source of income, contributing to 30 percent of the country's GDP and 80 percent of its exports. This discovery further cements Botswana's position as a pivotal player in the global diamond industry.