WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Miners at Letšeng mine in Lesotho, a small mountainous kingdom in southern African, have discovered one of the largest diamonds in history.
Gem Diamonds Ltd., the Britain-based diamond mining company that owns Letšeng mine, has discovered the 910-carat stone, about the size of two golf balls. The diamond is a D color Type IIa diamond, which means it has very few or no nitrogen atoms, according to Bloomberg. The diamond is the fifth-biggest ever found. The precious gem has an estimated value of $40 million.
'Since Gem Diamonds acquired Letšeng in 2006, the mine has produced some of the world's most remarkable diamonds, including the 603 carat Lesotho Promise, however, this exceptional top quality diamond is the largest to be mined to date and highlights the unsurpassed quality of the Letšeng mine,' Clifford Elphick, Gem Diamonds' Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement. 'This is a landmark recovery for all of Gem Diamonds' stakeholders, including our employees, shareholders and the Government of Lesotho, our partner in the Letšeng mine.'
The Letšeng mine is famous for producing big and high quality diamonds. Back in 2015, Gem Diamonds sold a 357-carat rock for $19.3 million, and in 2006 it discovered the 603-carat Lesotho Promise.
The largest diamond discovered in history is the 3,106-carat Cullinan found in Pretoria, South Africa.
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