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  • THE LARGEST ROUGH DIAMOND DISCOVERED IN OVER A CENTURY

    THE 1109-CARAT “LESEDI LA RONA”

    THE 1109-CARAT “LESEDI LA RONA”

    The largest rough diamond discovered in over a century  – the 1109 carat Lesedi la Rona – will be offered in a stand alone sale at Sotheby’s in London on June 29.  The largest rough diamond in existence today is estimated to make more than $70 million.  Lesedi la Rona (“Our Light” in the Tswana language spoken in Botswana) was uncovered by Lucara Diamond Corp. in November 2015, at their Karowe mine in Botswana. Around the size of a tennis ball (measuring approximately 66.4 x 55 x 42 mm), this colossal rough diamond of exceptional transparency and quality is around 2.5 to over 3 billion years old.

    Diamonds have been mined continuously for centuries in multiple locations around the world and yet nothing of the size and quality of Lesedi La Rona has been found in over 100 years. In terms of its size, the rough is exceeded only by the legendary Cullinan Diamond, mined in South Africa in 1905.  The 3016.75-carat Cullinan Diamond produced nine major diamonds that are part of the historic Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, including the Great Star of Africa  currently the largest top-quality polished diamond in existence, weighing 530.20 carats.

    According to a study by the Gemological Institute of America, the Lesedi La Rona’s “top colour and transparency exemplify the “limpid” appearance commonly associated with type IIa diamonds” – a rare and coveted subgroup which comprises less than 2% of all gem diamonds. Stones in this group are “the most chemically pure and often show extraordinary optical transparency”.

    David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s Jewellery Division, commented: “The Lesedi la Rona is simply outstanding and its discovery is the find of a lifetime. It is a huge honour for Sotheby’s to have been entrusted with its sale. Every aspect of this auction is unprecedented. Not only is the rough superlative in size and quality, but no rough even remotely of this scale has ever been offered before at public auction”.  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    Here is a short video about about the stone:

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