Sep 22, 2008

478 Carat Uncut Diamond Recovered

Diamond miners in Lesotho have discovered one of the World's largest diamonds! Gem Diamonds, a mining company said on Sunday that it had recovered a 478 carat diamond from its mine in the Southern African kingdom of Lesotho. By size it is the 20th largest rough diamond ever found. But, after polishing this diamond may become the largest ever polished diamond.

The diamond, which was recovered on September 8 at the Letseng mine in Lesotho, is as yet unnamed. According to the company, it has the potential to yield a 150 carat cut stone, and could sell for tens of millions of dollars.

Great Star of Africa
Still, it would be dwarfed by the Cullinan diamond discovered in 1905, which was 3,106 carats uncut and yielded a teardrop shaped diamond of 530 carats called the Great Star of Africa (pictured above).

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