The diamond weighs around 350g and measures 83mm x 62mm x 43mm. It has been classified as near-gem quality with some areas of high-quality white gem, though analysis has not yet been completed.
It’s the largest diamond ever recovered in Botswana and is thought to be the second largest found in history, second only to the Cullinan Diamond which was discovered in South Africa in 1905.
Lucara also found a 1,111-carat gem quality diamond at Karowe in 2015. Both were discovered using TOMRA XRT technology, a ground-breaking sensor sorting system that has detected four of the top ten largest diamonds in the world to date.
“Lucara’s technologically advanced, XRT diamond recovery circuit has once again delivered historic results,” Eira Thomas, president and CEO Lucara, said. “Karowe has now produced two diamonds greater than 1,000 carats in just four years, affirming... the likelihood of recovering additional, large, high quality diamonds in the future.”
Lucara is also currently trialling its own online diamond selling platform, named Clara. The site allows Lucara to match buyers’ requirements rather than the traditional system, which has them buy ‘by the bucket’. It incorporates blockchain technology to maintain traceability.
The company is now attempting to bring other independent diamond producers on board, touting its service as an alternative to selling through the likes of DeBeers and Alrosa.