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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Lifestyle
Gaborone - London - Asharq Al-Awsat

World's Third Largest Diamond Discovered in Botswana

A blue diamond, weighing over 20 carats, is seen in this undated handout picture released by Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) in Gaborone, Botswana, April 17, 2019. (Reuters)

A huge raw diamond with silver reflections, which appeared to be the third largest in the world, was recently found in Botswana, Canadian firm Lucara announced.

A 1,174-carat diamond has been unearthed on June 12, trumping another huge precious stone found by another company in the country last month, AFP reported.

"This is a historic discovery for us and Botswana. It ranks third among the world's largest stones," Lucara's managing director Naseem Lahri proudly told AFP during its presentation before the Gaborone government.

This latest discovery confirms Botswana's position as a world leader in the world's largest stone with six large diamonds.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi welcomed the "riveting moment" and the growing frequency of diamond discoveries in the country.

The diamond discovered on June 1, weighs 1098 carats and belongs to the state-owned diamond firm Debswana and South African company De Beers.

The biggest diamond ever discovered in the world was the 3,106-carat Cullinan, found in South Africa in 1905.

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