Earlier this month, Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond announced that it discovered a supersize 1080-carat diamond in Botswana. To be precise, the diamond is 1,080.1 carats, making it the seventh-largest diamond ever found. According to Lucara, this recovery is reportedly the fourth +1000-carat diamond from the South Lobe of the AK6 kimberlite since 2015.
The diamond was uncovered at Lucara’s Karowe diamond mine, located just northeast of the centre of Botswana. Taking its name from the local word for “precious stone”, Lucara acquired Karowe in 2010. Five years later, the 1109-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond was recovered at the site. And in 2019, it mined the staggering 1758-carat Sewelô diamond. Of all the rough diamonds ever mined, the Lesedi La Rona and Sewelô are the fifth and third largest, respectively.
The New Supersize 1080-carat Diamond
The new 1080-carat diamond, which is currently nameless, measures 82.2 x 42.8 x 34.2mm. Recovered in Karowe’s Coarse XRT unit, the crystal came from an ore found in the M/PK(S) unit of the South Lobe. Additionally, the company describes the new supersize diamond as a “Type IIa top white gem of high quality”.
Lucara CEO, Eira Thomas, describes how “extremely pleased” the company is with the recovery. “As we progress mining deeper in the open pit and transition to underground mining, exclusively in the South Lobe, the preponderance of large, high-value stones is increasing, consistent with the resource model and underpins the strong economic rationale for investing in the Underground expansion that will extend the mine-life out to at least 2040.” Thomas also commented.
Founded in 2009 by Thomas, Catherine McLeod-Seltzer and Lukas Lundin, Lucara was born in Canada but operates in South Africa. Within the industry, the company has a reputation for selling natural, untreated, ethically sourced diamonds from its wholly-owned Karowe mine. Moreover, since beginning production, the company has sold 214 of its diamonds at $1 million each and over 11 for more than $10 million each.
What would you do with the supersize 1080-carat diamond discovered in Botswana? And do you think there is more to come? Let us know your thoughts below!
