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Lesotho mine yields one of world''s largest diamonds Sun Sep
21, 7:06 AM ET
Miners in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho have found
one of the world''s largest diamonds, a near-flawless white
gem weighing nearly 500 carats, mining group Gem Diamonds
said on Sunday.
The diamond was discovered in the Letseng Mine on September
8, the company said in a statement. It has been analyzed by
experts in Antwerp and found to weigh 478 carats, with very
few inclusions and of outstanding color and clarity.
"It has the potential to yield one of the largest flawless D
color round polished diamonds in history," the company said.
Letseng is one of the most productive mines in history --
four of the world''s 20 largest rough diamonds have been
found at the mine, including the three largest found this
century.
Before it is cut into gems it is hard to value the diamond,
but a spokesman for Gem Diamonds said a similar weight stone
with lesser-quality color and clarity had recently sold for
$12 million (around 5.5 million pounds).
"Preliminary examination of this remarkable diamond
indicates that it will yield a record breaking polished
stone of the very best color and clarity," Clifford Elphick,
the chief executive of Gem Diamonds, said in a statement.
The minister for natural resources in Lesotho, an
impoverished mountain kingdom in eastern South Africa,
praised the productivity of the mine, one of the highest in
the world at more than 3,000 meters (10,000 feet).
"Once again Letseng has proved its ability to produce
extraordinary diamonds and continues to place Lesotho at the
forefront of diamond producing countries," Monyane Moleleki
said in a statement.
Letseng is 70 percent owned by Gem Diamonds and 30 percent
owned by the government of Lesotho.
The world''s largest diamond is the Cullinan, discovered in
South Africa in 1905. It weighed more than 3,100 carats
before it was cut into more than one hundred separate gems,
many of which are part of the British crown jewels.
Lesotho mine yields one of world''s largest diamonds Sun Sep
21, 7:06 AM ET
Miners in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho have found
one of the world''s largest diamonds, a near-flawless white
gem weighing nearly 500 carats, mining group Gem Diamonds
said on Sunday.
The diamond was discovered in the Letseng Mine on September
8, the company said in a statement. It has been analyzed by
experts in Antwerp and found to weigh 478 carats, with very
few inclusions and of outstanding color and clarity.
"It has the potential to yield one of the largest flawless D
color round polished diamonds in history," the company said.
Letseng is one of the most productive mines in history --
four of the world''s 20 largest rough diamonds have been
found at the mine, including the three largest found this
century.
Before it is cut into gems it is hard to value the diamond,
but a spokesman for Gem Diamonds said a similar weight stone
with lesser-quality color and clarity had recently sold for
$12 million (around 5.5 million pounds).
"Preliminary examination of this remarkable diamond
indicates that it will yield a record breaking polished
stone of the very best color and clarity," Clifford Elphick,
the chief executive of Gem Diamonds, said in a statement.
The minister for natural resources in Lesotho, an
impoverished mountain kingdom in eastern South Africa,
praised the productivity of the mine, one of the highest in
the world at more than 3,000 meters (10,000 feet).
"Once again Letseng has proved its ability to produce
extraordinary diamonds and continues to place Lesotho at the
forefront of diamond producing countries," Monyane Moleleki
said in a statement.
Letseng is 70 percent owned by Gem Diamonds and 30 percent
owned by the government of Lesotho.
The world''s largest diamond is the Cullinan, discovered in
South Africa in 1905. It weighed more than 3,100 carats
before it was cut into more than one hundred separate gems,
many of which are part of the British crown jewels.
(Reporting by Luke Baker; Editing by Mariam Karouny)
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