Giant ?10million 404-carat diamond found in Angola one of largest ever discovered
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| The virtually flawless diamond is worth around ?10million |
A giant diamond, thought to be one of the biggest ever found, has been discovered in southern Africa.
Miners from an Australian company unearthed the virtually flawless white diamond in a remote part of Lunda Norte province in northeastern Angola.
The gemstone is thought to be 404 carats and valued at around ?10million, according to the Lucapa Diamond Company.
Company chairman Miles Kennedy told Australian news outlet ABC the diamond – the largest ever found in Angola – is valued at around $ 14million US dollars.
He told the news channel: “We’re not used to valuing 400-carat diamonds, but if we look at other diamonds slightly less weight than this, you’re looking in the order of $ 20 million.”
The diamond measures 7cm long smashes the record set by the ‘Angolan Star’, a 217-carat diamond discovered in 2007.
Lupaca believes the huge gem is the 27th biggest diamond ever recorded.
The discovery was part of the Lulo Diamond Project, a partnership between Lucapa, private Angolan company Rosas e P?talas and Angola?s national diamond company, Endiama, the Daily News reported.
Lucapa has been mining in the area since August last year.