JOHANNESBURG - A rough diamond from Botswana, believed to be the biggest uncut diamond found in a century, has been bought by British company Graff Diamonds for $53million (R704.24m), Graff announced yesterday.
The tennis ball sized diamond was found at Lucara Karowe mine in North-central Botswana in 2015 and weighs 1109 carats.
It is named the Lesedi La Rona, meaning “our light” in Botswana’s language.
“Our highly-skilled team of master craftsmen will draw on many years of experience of crafting the most important diamonds, working night and day to ensure that we do justice to this remarkable gift from Mother Nature,” Graff said.
Botswana’s diamond industry represents 80% of the nation’s export revenues.
BLING BLAOW!
Diamond-Lesedi La Rona sold for $53m to London Jeweller https://t.co/UI7APMztsc pic.twitter.com/kd5oUuvWwc
— Mr. Bijoy (@mrbijoy) September 27, 2017