A London auctioneer says a diamond the size of a tennis ball that was unearthed by a Vancouver-based mining company could sell for more than $70 million US. It is a 1109-carat diamond.
It is called the Lesedi la Rona diamond and Sotheby’s says it will offer it in London on June 29.
The diamond was found in Botswana (its name means “our light” in the Tswana language), in southern Africa at a mine owned by Lucara Diamond Corp in November. It took months to determine even an estimated price, because it is so large that it does not fit into conventional scanners used to evaluate a stone’s potential worth. More about the diamond is featured in the video below:
Sotheby’s said the diamond is the largest rough, gem-quality diamond in existence today. It is believed to be between 2.5 billion and 3 billion years old.
The auctioneer said Wednesday that the rough gemstone could yield the largest top-quality diamond ever cut and polished.
Last year, Lucara sold a 341.9-carat diamond of the same type for US$20.55 million.
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SOURCES: Newsbeatsocial, YouTube
