An "epic" 2,492-carat diamond has been unearthed at the Karowe mine in Botswana, operated by Lucara Diamond Corp., the miner said on Tuesday.
While the quality of the diamond has yet to be fully assessed, the sheer size of the stone is a major triumph for Lucara. The discovery was made possible by advanced x-ray technology at Karowe, which can detect and recover massive gems intact, a significant challenge in the industry.
"The ability to recover such a massive, high-quality stone intact demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach to diamond recovery," Lucara's CEO, William Lamb, highlighted the importance of this find in a statement.
Although Africa remains the leader in the weight of diamonds found, in 2023, Russia led in production volumes, accounting for 37.3 million carats, or 33.5% of the global output, based on Sputnik calculations from Kimberley Process data. For the first time since 2019, Russia also surpassed Botswana in the value of diamonds produced.