Science & Technology

1,111-carat diamond unearthed in Botswana

By T.K. Randall
November 19, 2015 ·  11 comments

Diamonds are a highly-prized and precious commodity. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 Swamibu The tennis-ball sized stone, which is thought to be the largest found in the last 110 years, was unearthed by Canadian-based company Lucara Diamond in the south lobe of the Karowe mine.

What made the discovery even more impressive was the fact that two other very large diamonds, one of which being around 813 carats, were found in the same mine at around the same time.

Chief executive William Lamb stated that he was at a 'loss for words'."This historic diamond recovery puts Lucara and the Karowe mine amongst a select number of truly exceptional diamond producers," he said.

"Our focus on mining the south lobe, which is delivering value beyond expectation, has been perfectly timed with the commissioning of our recent plant modifications, enabling the recovery of these large, high quality exceptional diamonds."

The largest diamond in history, which was found in South Africa's Premier mine in 1905, was a huge 3,106-carat stone called the Cullinan diamond which was cut in to a selection of exquisite jewels.

Several of these, including the Great Star of Africa and the Second Star of Africa, can still be found to this day at the Tower of London where they are kept as part of the British Crown Jewels.

Source: Sky News | Comments (11)

Tags: Diamond, Botswana