World’s second-largest diamond ever discovered unearthed in Botswana

A sizeable 2,492-carat diamond, the second-largest diamond ever discovered, has been unearthed at a mine in Botswana.

The mine, located in Karowe, about 500 kilometres north of Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, is owned by the Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond, which made the discovery.

The remarkable find is said to be the largest since the legendary 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905. The diamond was later cut into nine separate stones, many of which are now part of the British Crown Jewels.

This latest discovery also surpasses Botswana’s previous record, a 1,758-carat diamond found at the same Karowe mine in 2019.

Lucara Diamond CEO William Lamb announced that the company was “ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond.”

According to Lamb, Lucara’s Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology, which was implemented in 2017 to find and protect valuable diamonds while ore was being crushed, was what allowed for the finding.

While Lucara has not disclosed the diamond’s gem quality or potential value, past discoveries at the Karowe mine might offer a hint. A 1,109-carat diamond found in 2016 was purchased for $53 million by Graff Diamonds in 2017, and the 2019 1,758-carat stone was acquired by Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed sum.