NEW DELHI: A 2,492-carat raw diamond has been discovered in Botswana which is believed to be the world’s second-largest, behind only the famed Cullinan diamond.  The diamond was discovered in the Karowe Diamond Mine in northeastern Botswana using x-ray detection technology, by Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp.

Lucara did not give a value for the find or mention its quality, but the Financial Times quoted unnamed sources close to Lucara estimating that it could fetch upwards of US $40 million. In terms of carats, the stone is second only to the 3,016-carat Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa in 1905. “We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond,” Lucara president William Lamb said in the statement.

Pictures released by the company show the diamond is as large as the palm of a hand. This find was “one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed” and was detected using the company’s Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology installed in 2017 to identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds, the statement said.

In 2019, a 1,758-carat diamond found in the mine was purchased by luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton. Before that, in 2010, Graff Diamonds had bought the 1,109 carat diamond found in Karowe in 2016 for a staggering $53 million. The Cullinan diamond remains the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered at 3,106 carats. It was mined in South Africa in 1905 and cut up into several smaller stones.

The largest of Cullinan diamond is named Cullinan I, and named the Great Star of Africa by Edward VII, and at 530.4 carats (106.08 g) it is the largest clear cut diamond in the world. The stone is mounted in the head of the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross. The second-largest is Cullinan II or the Second Star of Africa, weighing 317.4 carats (63.48 g), mounted in the Imperial State Crown. Both are part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.