World’s second largest stone discovered by Canadian company Lucara

The second largest diamond ever discovered – a 2,492-carat rough stone – was discovered in Botswana at a mine owned by Canadian company Lucara Diamond.

It is the largest discovery since the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1905 and cut into nine separate stones, many of which feature in the British Crown Jewels.

The diamond was found in the Karowe mine, about 500km north of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.

The Botswana government said it was the largest diamond ever discovered in the southern African state.

The previous largest discovery in Botswana was a 1,758-carat stone found in the same mine in 2019.

Botswana is one of the world’s largest producers of diamonds, representing approximately 20% of global production.

In a statement, Lucara said the stone was “one of the largest rough diamonds ever discovered.”

“We are delighted with the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond,” said William Lamb, director of Lucara.

The company did not provide details on the quality of the stone or its value.

The diamond was detected using Lucara’s Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology, Lamb said.

It has been used since 2017 to detect and preserve high-value diamonds so they do not break during ore crushing processes, according to the publication Miningmx.

Lucara owns 100% of the shares in the Karowe mine.

Botswana’s government has proposed a law that would require companies, once granted a mining license, to sell a 24 percent stake to local firms if the government does not exercise its option to become a shareholder, Reuters news agency reported last month.