Gaborone, Botswana:
Botswanan diamond firm Debswana stated Wednesday it had unearthed a 1,098-carat stone that it described as the third biggest of its sort in the world.
The stone, discovered on June 1, was shown to President Mokgweetsi Masisi in the capital Gaborone.
“It is believed to be the third largest gem-quality find in the world,” stated Debswana Managing Director Lynette Armstrong.
The “rare and extraordinary stone… means so much in the context of diamonds and Botswana,” she stated. “It brings hope to the nation that is struggling.”
It also the greatest stone of gem high-quality to be recovered in the history of the firm, a joint venture amongst the government and international diamond giant De Beers.
The greatest diamond ever found in the world was the 3,106-carat Cullinan, discovered in South Africa in 1905.
The second biggest was 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona — a diamond the size of a tennis ball, found at Karowe, northeastern Botswana, in 2015.
Botswana is Africa’s major diamond producer.
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