2,492-Carat Diamond, Believed To Be World's 2nd Largest, Found In Botswana

The world's second-largest 2,492-carat diamond has been discovered in Botswana at a mine owned by Lucara Diamond, a Canadian firm. The largest diamond – 3,106-carat – was found in South Africa in 1905, also known as the Cullinan Diamond. It was cut into pieces and later incorporated into the British Crown Jewels.

Lucara mentioned that the gem was discovered at the Karowe Diamond Mine in northeastern Botswana using X-ray technology. The mining company did not share any value for the "high-quality" stone, however, the Financial Times quoted unnamed sources claiming the gigantic stone could fetch upwards of USD 40 million.

Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology of Lucara Diamond, which was installed in 2017, has discovered the diamond. The technology was installed to identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds. William Lamb, the President and CEO of Lucara, mentioned that the discovery supports Lucara's investment in XRT investment as well as the potential of its Karowe mine which has made some massive discoveries in the last few years.