More than 1,000-carat diamond found in Botswana
Diamonds are forever.
A more than 1,000-carat diamond was discovered in Botswana earlier this month and could be the third-largest ever mined, The Associated Press reported Friday.
The find, which weighed 1,098.3 carats and was mined in the Debswana-owned Jwaneng mine, is a positive for the country’s economy, which is largely reliant on diamonds and has struggled amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“With the recent introduction of a modern, state-of-the-art large diamond pilot plant, I have every hope that we will be able to recover more large diamonds,” said Lynette Armstrong, acting managing director of mining company Debswana, co-owned by the country’s government and the De Beers Group.
The diamond measures over 2.8 inches long, just over 2 inches wide, and a little over an inch thick.
Armstrong noted that unearthing such a large diamond “through our conventional ore processing plant” is “a great metallurgical achievement.”
The discovery is the largest gem-quality diamond found in the company’s mines, said Armstrong.
The company formed in 1969, just two years after diamonds were first discovered in Botswana.
Armstrong said the Jwaneng mine last boasted a large diamond find in 1993, which weighed 446 carats.
The diamond was first spotted on June 1 by Kefentse Orakeng and Phodiso Selaledi and processed in the Aquarium plant, said Armstrong, noting that a team led by Wapula Gaolatlhe confirmed the find on June 4.
With News Wire Services
