By Natasha Joseph
A Cape Town property developer claims that a whopping 7 000 carat diamond has been unearthed at a mine in the North West province.
But diamond industry insiders say it's "highly unlikely" that the stone, which would be the size of a soccer ball, is for real.
Brett Jolly, who is a shareholder in the unnamed North West mine, said the massive stone was light green and was "the largest diamond ever found".
'Highly unlikely' Jolly was reluctant to supply too many details - such as the name of the mine and its exact location - but insisted this was for "security" reasons.
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He initially described the diamond as being "between 6 500 and 8 000 carats", but on Monday night said he would go "on record and say that it's 7 000 carats".
At the Cape Times' request, Jolly arranged for a cellphone photograph of the "diamond" to be sent to its reporter.
Jolly said the photograph was taken by the man who was driving the stone to Johannesburg, where it would be stashed in a security vault until it could be valued by experts.
"(The driver) literally pulled over and took a snap with his cellphone," said Jolly.
The photograph shows the "diamond" next to a cellphone - but the picture was obviously not snapped in a car. The stone is on a table in a room.
When asked if the stone could possibly be for real, Jolly said another shareholder in the mine, who had been involved "in diamonds" for "over 25 years", had identified the stone.
"If he says that it is (a 7 000 carat diamond), it is," said Jolly.
Jolly said he would fly to Johannesburg this morning to see the diamond for himself. It would have to be examined by experts and the "relevant authorities" would have to be informed, he said.
But diamond industry insiders said the diamond community was "quite small" and that nobody had heard "anything" about the enormous gem.
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