A massive 2,492-carat diamond, the second-largest in the world, has been discovered in Botswana by the Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. This extraordinary find was made at the Karowe Diamond Mine in northeastern Botswana, using advanced x-ray detection technology.
The diamond, although not yet valued or assessed for quality, is second in size only to the 3,016-carat Cullinan Diamond, which was discovered in South Africa in 1905. Lucara’s president, William Lamb, expressed excitement over the discovery, highlighting it as one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed.
This discovery is attributed to Lucara’s Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology, which was installed in 2017 to help identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds. The technology’s ability to extract large diamonds intact is likely to lead to more significant finds in the future.
Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi was set to view the diamond, and the government confirmed its status as the second-largest diamond ever found. Prior to this discovery, the largest diamond in Botswana was a 1,758-carat stone mined by Lucara in 2019, named Sewelo. Lucara also found a 1,174-carat diamond in Botswana in 2021 using the same technology.
Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, noted that this discovery is made possible by newer technologies that allow larger diamonds to be extracted without breaking. This groundbreaking find continues to elevate Botswana’s reputation as a leading source of some of the world’s most significant diamonds.