A massive 1,000-carat diamond has been found in a mine in Botswana, just weeks after another historic discovery in the same mine.
Lucara Diamond Corp. reported that the giant diamond was found Sunday at its Karowe mine and weighed 1,094 carats.
But that wasn’t the biggest the company found this month. On August 22, the same mine unearthed a 2,492-carat stone — the second-largest diamond ever found.
The Vancouver company wrote in a statement: “The recovery of a second historic 1,000-carat diamond this year is in line with Lucara’s underground expansion project, which aims to extend the life of the Karowe mine beyond 2040.”
Lucara Diamond Corp announced that they discovered a 1,094-carat mammoth diamond at their Karowe mine on September 15. PICTURED: The 1,094-carat diamond
The discovery came after they found the second-largest stone ever — a 2,492-carat stone — in the same mine on August 22. PICTURED: The 1,094-carat diamond
The Karowe diamond mine in Lucara was put into operation in 2012. This mine is known for its large stones.
The open-pit from which they harvest the grain is expected to remain in operation until 2026.
But the company plans to dig deeper to expand the mine’s operations beyond 2040.
According to their estimates, there are approximately 7.9 million carats of diamonds from the surface to a depth of 600 meters.
They estimate that the mineral contains 1.17 million carats between 600 and 750 meters.
The largest gemstone ever found is the Cullinan Diamond. This 3,106 carat diamond was discovered on January 26, 1905 at the Premier No.2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa. It was owned by diamond magnate Sir Thomas Cullinan.
In August 2023, a similar 692-carat diamond was found by Lucara Diamond Corp. It was cut and transformed by HB Antwerp, a diamond cutting company.
The stones yielded diamonds that sold for more than $13 million.
The life of the operational mine is expected to last until 2026, but the company has plans to expand deeper. They said there are approximately 7.9 million carats of diamonds from surface to a depth of 600 m. Another 1.17 million carats are expected to lie between 600 m and 750 m. PICTURED: The open pit at Lucara Diamond Corp.’s Karowe diamond mine in Letlhakane, Botswana
The largest gemstone ever found is the Cullinan Diamond, a 3,106-carat diamond discovered on January 26, 1905, at the Premier No. 2 Mine in Cullinan, South Africa, and owned by diamond magnate Sir Thomas Cullinan. PICTURED: Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi looks at a large diamond discovered in Botswana at his office in Gaborone on August 22, 2024.
The discovery came seven months after an Australian mother found a sapphire worth $2,000 deep in the ground on her Outback property while carrying her baby daughter and ‘hand mining’ it.
Amber Betteridge found the Australian sapphire deep in the ground on her Rubyvale property, near Rockhampton in Central Queensland, on February 18.
The mother was seen in a TikTok video holding her nine-month-old daughter Elise as she searched for the gems.