A diamond firm by the name of Debswana is believed to have found the third largest diamond in the world in Botswana. The firm had unearthed a stone weighing 1,098 carats and showed it to President Mokgweetsi two weeks after finding it.
It is only a little less heavy than the second-largest diamond 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona unearthed by Lucara Diamonds also in Botswana in 2015.
After discovering this stone, Lynette Armstrong, Debswana Diamond Company’s acting managing director said, “This is the largest diamond to be recovered by Debswana in its history of over 50 years in operation. From our preliminary analysis it could be the world’s third largest gem quality stone.
The Mineral Minister of the country, Lefoko Moagi added that the discovery of the stone could not have been at a better time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit diamond sales in 2020. He also said that the stone measures 73mm long, 52mm wide and 27mm thick.
The firm Debswana is a joint venture between the government and global diamond giant De Beers and up to 80% of the income from sales goes to state coffers through dividends, royalties and taxes.
The company has still not decided whether they want to sell this “rare and extraordinary stone” though De Beers or through the state-owned Okavango Diamond Company.
Moreover, the firm is planning to increase output by as much as 38% to pre-pandemic levels of 23 million carats as the global diamond market is recovering from the pandemic and the covi-19 related restrictions are easing up.
The name of the stone has still not been decided yet.