An Australian mining company has discovered the biggest pink diamond in around 300 years.
Lucapa Diamond Company Limited found the 170 carat pink Type IIa diamond from the Lulo alluvial mine in Angola.
The company has released a statement saying it has been given the name 'The Lulo Rose'.
Advert
"This historical pink diamond is the 5th largest diamond and is the 27th +100 carat recovered to date on the Lulo concession," the company said in a statement.
Roughly one in every 10,000 diamonds ends up being pink, so this is quite the rare find, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Angolan government is thrilled by the discovery as they were also involved in the mining operation.
Advert
The country's Mineral Resources Minister, Diamantino Azevedo, said: "This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage."
Lucapa Diamond Company Limited Managing Director, Stephen Wetherall added: “Lulo is an exceptional alluvial resource and is truly a gift. We are once again made very proud by yet another historic recovery.
"We too look forward to our partnership progressing its exploration effort, where we are now bulk sampling the priority kimberlites, in search for the primary kimberlite sources of these exceptional and high-value diamonds.”
The pricey diamond will soon go up for sale in an auction that will be governed by Sodiam E.P, the Angolan State Diamond Marketing Company.
Advert
News Corp reports it could fetch more than AUD$100 million as the 59.6 carat Pink Star was sold for that amount at a Hong Kong auction.
Even though The Lulo Rose is 170 carats, diamonds can often lose up to 50 per cent of their weight when cut.
But, if you thought a 170 carat diamond was impressive, wait until you see this bad boy that was discovered last year.
Advert
A 1,098-carat diamond was found in a mine in Botswana and was believed to be the third-largest ever found, according to the country’s government.
The stone was unearthed in the Jwaneng mine, which is about 75 miles from the capital city, Gaborone.
Once it was discovered and examined, it was officially presented to Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
In a statement announcing the diamond’s discovery, the Botswanan Government said that President Masisi confirmed that ‘as is the norm, proceeds from the diamond will be used to advance national development in the country.’
Advert
The government added that the stone was the largest found by mining company Debswana since diamonds were first discovered in 1967.
The second-largest ‘gem quality’ diamond ever discovered – the 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona – was unearthed in 2016 in the Karowe mine, which is located in Botswana but operated by Canadian company Lucara Diamond.
In 2019, an even larger 1,758-carat diamond, called the Sewelô, was found in the country, however, experts said that it could not be classified as ‘gem quality,’ per CNN.
Topics: News
Stewart Perrie