This African country unearths one of the largest diamonds in the world; check the pictures

The 1,098-carat diamond is believed to be the third largest “gem-quality” diamond ever to be found.

Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the gemstone was unearthed earlier this month in the Jwaneng mine, about 120 kilometers from the country’s capital, Gaborone.

Officially opened in 1982, the Jwaneng mine typically produces between 12.5 million and 15 million carats of diamonds per year, a company that operates the mine said in a statement.

This month’s find is the largest gemstone the company has found since the first diamond discovery in Botswana in 1967, the government said.

Currently, the largest diamond on record is the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, found in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was later cut into smaller stones, some of which are crown jewels of the British royal family.

The second largest find would be the Lesedi La Rona, a 1,109-carat stone found by Canadian company Lucara Diamond at the Karowe mine, also in Botswana, in 2015. The diamond was sold to luxury jeweler Graff for $ 53 million. of dollars two years later. .

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