- Tsaone Segaetsho
Lucara Diamond Corporation has announced the discovery of a 2492 carat diamond at its Karowe Diamond Mine, a gem that is 614 carats shy of the world’s largest diamond.
The stone was detected and recovered by Lucara’s Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XTR) technology, which was installed in 2017 to preserve large, high value diamonds.
Speaking on the latest discovery, Lucara President, William Lamb labelled the development as an iconic moment for the Karowe Mine and ratifies the investment into the cutting-edge technology that made the discovery possible.
“It holds our strategic investment in cutting edge XTR technology and showcases the effectiveness of our approach to diamond discovery and commitment to maximizing value for our shareholders and stakeholders.”
“The discovery reinforces Karowe’s position as a truly world –class diamond mine and highlights the continued success of our operational and underground development strategy,” said Lamb in a recent statement.
The latest discovery by Lucara is just 614 carats behind the largest diamond ever unearthed, which is the 3106 carats Cullinan diamond, discovered in 1905 in neighbouring South Africa.
Of the top 10 largest diamonds in the world, seven are dug from Karowe mine by Canadian company, Lucara. Botswana has eight from the world’s 10 largest diamonds and Debswana holds position six with a 1098 carat diamond.
Lucara’s historic discovery overtakes the 1758 carat gem Sewelo, mined from the same Karowe mine in 2019 and subsequently purchased by Louis Vuitton. Sewelo was also discovered with the same high-tech XRT circuit that has become the hallmark of Lucara’s diamond recovery process.