Botswana unearths 2,492-carat diamond, among largest ever uncovered

One of the largest diamonds ever unearthed from a mine has been discovered in Botswana, the government of the southern African country announced Wednesday.

The massive, 2,492-carat diamond was recovered from Karowe Mine, known for previously producing four diamonds over 1,000 carats. Botswana said the stone is believed to be the second-biggest ever uncovered from a mine.

The Karowe Mine is operated by Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp., which announced in a statement Wednesday that it recovered the "exceptional" rough diamond from the mine using X-ray technology. Lucara said the diamond was a "high-quality" stone and was found intact.

"We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond," Lucara president and CEO William Lamb said in the statement.

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The 2,492-carat stone is the largest diamond found in more than 100 years and the second largest ever dug out of a mine after the Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was 3,106 carats and was cut into gems, some of which form part of the British Crown Jewels.

The newly discovered diamond will be presented to the world at the office of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, the Botswanan government said. Masisi will be one of the first to view it.

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Botswana is the second-biggest producer of diamonds and has unearthed all the world's biggest stones in recent years.

The 1,758-carat Sewelo diamond was brought out of the Karowe Mine in 2019 and was recognized as the second-biggest mined diamond in the world at that time. It sold to French fashion house Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed amount.

The mine also produced the 1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, which was bought by a British jeweler for $53 million in 2017.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.