The 15 largest diamonds discovered in the centennial
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Since the dawn of time, Man has never ceased to discover certain wonders of nature. And for good reason, even today, in the heart of the 21st century, we will continue to discover diamonds. In just over two decades, many stones have surfaced to land in the hands of Man. However, these discoveries have taken place in specific places around the globe such as Botswana, the Kingdom of Lesotho, and Canada. Here are 15 of the largest diamonds discovered during our current century.
The Sewelô diamond from Botswana
The Sewelô is a diamond that has truly entered history, even though it was only discovered in April 2019. And for good reason, it is the second largest diamond ever discovered. With a weight of 1758 carats, it is just behind the Cullinan diamond, which weighs 3107 carats. At its discovery, the stone was covered with a layer of carbon, hiding its beauty at first glance.
A rough diamond of 1,174 carats
Discovered in 2021 still in Botswana, this stone is the third largest diamond in the world. Elle has some features that make it a real elle nugget:
- A weight of 1174 carats
- Elle would be part of an even larger set of diamonds
- A very original color
Lesedi La Rona at the Lucara Karowe mine
It was in 2015 at the Lucara Karowe mine that the stone Lesedi La Rona was harvested. A particular find because this diamond was identified as type IIa, a very rare category that represents only 1 to 2% of diamonds. This is for a very simple reason, it is the purest type you will find on our planet.
Sold to Laurence Graff, a London diamond dealer, its purchase price is 53 million dollars.
The diamond from the Jwaneng mine
In June 2021, the company Debswana discovered a diamond in the Jwaneng mine. A stone, also of gem quality, of more than impressive size:
- three inches long
- two inches wide
- one inch thick
With these dimensions, this gemstone is the most imposing discovery in this mine for the past 50 years. A notable record, the previous one only measured half of this one.
The 998 carat rough diamond from Karowe
In the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic that hit the entire world in 2020, the Karowe diamond mine, explored by Lucara Diamond Corporation allowed the discovery of a rough diamond weighing 998 carats. With a white color, elle is even more impressive.
Its dimensions are 67 mm by 49 mm by 45 mm. Later, elle will be worked on and divided to be distributed in different creations.
The Legend Diamond from the Letšeng Mine
The size of two golf balls, this diamond named "The Legend of Lesotho" was discovered in the Letšeng mine. This magnificent stone of 910 carats is :
- identified as superior D color
- belongs to category IIa
- was sold for 40 million dollars
The Constellation, an 813 carat diamond
The Constellation is another diamond of type IIa and particularly pure. With a weight of 813 carats, this diamond discovered in the Karowe mine in 2015 has been officially declared as the largest diamond of color D rated by the GIA.
The Peace Diamond of 709 carats
The Peace Diamond has an extraordinary history. It was found by residents of the city of Sierra Leone hired by a Pastor to earn their living, who found this stone. This yellow diamond, weighing 709 carats, was immediately handed over to the government because it seemed so unbelievable.
Once again, it was Laurence Graff who acquired this stone for the sum of 6.5 million dollars.
The Lesotho Promise has 603 carats
Discovered in 2006 in the Kingdom of Lesotho, this category IIa diamond with superior D color is of more than exceptional quality. Sold for a price of 12.36 million dollars, it was divided into 26 small diamonds that were set in a unique necklace made by Graff.
581 carats for the Wynn diamond
To change from Botswana, it is on the banks of the Amazon River in Brazil that the Wynn diamond surfaced. And it was cut in Antwerp! It is then a pear-shaped stone, 230 carats, H color and has a purity level of VS1.
A big scandal broke out in 2012 about the auction of this jewel that took place a year earlier, between its creator and potential buyers.
Diavik, the Canadian diamond
This time it was in the Arctic Circle, at the heart of the Canadian Diavik mine that the eponymous diamond was discovered. This yellow diamond was the largest ever harvested in the region.
This one was cut into 7 different diamonds, each sold at auction in 2021. The largest was sold for a price of 4.95 million dollars.
The 550 carat Letšeng Star
Composed of a large number of "star" stones that gave it its name, the Letšeng star was recovered in 2011 in the Maluti mountains. Once again, it was Laurence Graff who acquired it to give birth to the D Flawless collection.
A 549 carat diamond from Botswana
Discovered in the same block as two of the diamonds we mentioned earlier, this type IIa stone is also very pure. It was Louis Vuitton who bought this diamond during the year 2020.
The diamond from the Cullinan mine
It was on December 4, 2009 that this 507 carat diamond was harvested, in the same mine as the largest gem diamond ever discovered. A special date corresponding to South African Heritage Day!
Letšeng Legacy and its 493 carats
This diamond was discovered in 2017 in the Kingdom of Lesotho. This colorless diamond has attracted the interest of many buyers, specifically 11 diamond dealers, but once again, it was Laurence Graff who won the auction.
