The 1,111-carat stone, pictured, is the size of a small orange. Photo: Lucaradiamond.com
The 1,111-carat stone, pictured, is the size of a small orange. Photo: Lucaradiamond.com
The largest diamond in more than a century has been discovered in Africa and could fetch more than £25million (NZ$58million).
The 1,111-carat stone, pictured, is the size of a small orange, will eventually be sold on to be cut and polished into jewellery to be sold for many millions more.
The find, by Canadian company the Lucara Diamond Corp, is the second biggest gem-quality stone ever found and the largest in 110 years.
It was found at the Karowe Mine, Botswana, and is classed as type two quality, which means it is devoid of impurities. Its exact colour and clarity is being assessed.
According to mining analyst Phil Swinfen at Numis the stone could sell for more than £25million and would be bought by a diamond expert who would cut and polish it to then be sold on again.
After stones are cut and polished they can be sold at auction for multiples of the original price paid for the rough diamond.
The biggest ever gem-quality specimen is the Cullinan diamond, a 3,106-carat stone found in South Africa in 1905.
It was cut into nine major gems and 96 smaller stones, and the two largest are part of Britain's crown jewels, the most famous of which is known as the Star of Africa, a pear-shaped diamond weighing 530.2 carats.
