A 2,492-carat diamond has been unearthed in Botswana, making it the second-largest diamond ever found globally and the largest ever recovered in the African nation, according to the Botswanan government.
The largest diamond on record is the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was eventually divided into nine larger gems and nearly 100 smaller ones, with some now part of the British crown jewels.
The newly discovered diamond was found at the Karowe Diamond Mine in northeastern Botswana using x-ray detection technology, as announced by Lucara Diamond Corp. While the company did not disclose the diamond’s value or quality, Lucara’s president, William Lamb, expressed excitement, calling the discovery of this 2,492-carat diamond extraordinary.
Photographs released by the company show the diamond is roughly the size of a human palm. The statement highlighted that this is “one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed,” credited to the Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology installed in 2017 to identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds.
Earlier, the largest diamond discovered in Botswana was a 1,758-carat stone, also found at the Karowe mine in 2019.
Botswana is one of the world’s leading diamond producers, contributing around 20% of global production.
