Few weeks after Debswana company discovered 1,098-carat diamond on June 1 in Botswana, another mining company, Lucara Diamond discovered a huge rough diamond with a silvery sheen which weigh 1,174 carat in the same country.
The stone is “a clivage gem of variable quality with significant domains of high-quality white gem material,” Lucara said in the press release.
The rare rock was recovered at the Karowe diamond mine last month and presented to the government in a ceremony on Wednesday. Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi was in attendance to view the stone.
This latest discovery reinforces Botswana’s position as a leader on the world’s largest stone scene, with six of the world’s largest diamonds. According to the Lucara’s Managing Director, Naseem Lahri, “this is a historic discovery, for us and for Botswana as well.”
At present, the largest diamond ever recorded is the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, found in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was subsequently cut into smaller stones, some of which form part of British royal family’s crown jewels.