One of the Largest Diamonds in the World Discovered

Last month, one of the largest diamonds in the world was discovered in Lesotho, a small country in Southern Africa. The newly unearthed diamond, mined from the Gem Diamond’s Limited owned Letseng mine, is a whopping 910 carats, making it the fifth largest raw diamond ever discovered.

The Letseng mine has been known to produce other exceptionally large and high-quality diamonds in the past. The mine has also produced a 493-carat diamond, a 550-carat diamond, and a 603-carat diamond. But their newly mined, massive diamond is by far the largest the mine has produced.

A Closer Look at the 4Cs of Fifth-Largest Raw Diamond

• Carat: 910 carats

• Color: D color Type IIa

• Clarity: Currently Unknown

• Cut: Currently Uncut

Another thing that’s exciting about this newly-discovered diamond is the exceptionally high quality of the gem. In addition to its high carat weight (it’s said to be as big as two golf balls), it also has an excellent color. The new gem is a D color Type IIa diamond, an incredibly white diamond with absolutely no trace of nitrogen discoloration.

The clarity of the diamond remains to be seen and will likely be evaluated after the stone is cut. And the cut of the diamond, always one of the most important indicators of diamond quality, will also be hugely important in determining the quality— and the value— of the diamond.

The Value of the Fifth-Largest Raw Diamond

The value of this newly discovered diamond depends hugely on how the diamond is cut and whether or not it is found to have any major inclusions. Certainly, even if the diamond has large inclusions, it will still garner a high price due to its carat and color alone. But if the diamond has few very minor inclusions, it could become of one of the most expensive diamonds in the world.

Determining the value of the diamond is all speculation at this point. But Ben Davis, an analyst at Liverum Capital Markets, told Bloomberg, “.. assuming there are no large inclusions running through the diamond, we initially estimate a sale of $40 million.”

The Five Largest Rough Diamonds Ever Discovered

• Cullinan Diamond (3,106 carats)

• Lesedi La Rona Diamond (1,109 carats)

• Excelsior Diamond (995 carats)

• Star of Sierra Leone (969 carats)

• The newly-discovered Letseng diamond (910 carats)

The discovery of this new diamond marks a new entry in the top five largest rough diamonds ever unearthed. Because it’s a new entry, it’s also currently the only diamond without a nickname. Whether it’s named before or after it’s cut, this incredible new find is sure to be buzzed about for many years to come.