Aug 23, 2024 - World
Second-biggest diamond ever found is unearthed in Botswana
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Botswana's president holds up the large diamond discovered in Botswana at a viewing ceremony on Aug. 22. Photo: Monirul Bhuiyan/AFP via Getty Images
The second-largest diamond ever found in a mine has been discovered in Botswana, the AP reports.
The big picture: The large 2,492-carat gemstone is the biggest diamond found in more than a century, since the Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa in 1905.
- The diamond's value hasn't been determined yet but unnamed sources close to the Canadian mining operator Lucara — which owns the mine where the gem was found — told the Financial Times that the diamond could be worth upwards of $40 million.
- Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi called the diamond "overwhelming" at a viewing ceremony Thursday, AP reported.
- "I am lucky to have seen it in my time," he added.
Zoom out: The Cullinan Diamond — pieces of which wound up in the U.K. Crown Jewels — is considered the largest diamond ever found in a mine.
- A larger black diamond was discovered in Brazil in the 1800s but it was found on the earth's surface and believed to be part of a meteorite, per CBS News.
Go deeper: Lab-grown diamonds go luxury — and rock the industry
