Super Diamonds of our times

In the last two decades, an exceptional number of super diamonds (with huge carat size) have been discovered. Except the beautiful Peace Diamond, the discovery of the largest diamonds has been concentrated in just a few locations. Before we dig into details of largest diamonds unearthed in the last few decades, if you’re curious about what exactly carat size refers to, them click here to learn more about it. Online Diamond Shopping Tips

The Sewelô diamond (1,758-carat)

1,758 carat Sewelô is the world’s second-biggest diamond found in in April 2019 at the Lucara Karowe diamond mine. Its roughly the size of tennis-ball, covered in a thin layer carbon, giving it a frosty-grey appearance. In a dramatic move it was acquired by Louis Vuitton “for undisclosed millions” at the beginning of 2020. Louis Vuitton is rumoured to collaborate with the mining company , which unearthed it to cut, polish and shape it into a fine collection.

The Lesedi La Rona diamond (1,109-carat )

At the time of unearthing of the Lesedi La Rona at the Lucara Karowe mine in Botswana in 2015 it weighed 1,109 carats, and consequently crowned as the largest gem-quality diamond discovered. Additionally, it was identified as Type IIa, which comprise only 1-2% of all diamonds found. The most chemically pure of all diamonds, Type IIa stones are almost entirely devoid of impurities. The Lesedi La Rona was sold to the renowned London diamantaire Laurence Graff, who has spent 18 months cutting and polishing the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, revealing a magnificent collection of 67 diamonds, including the historic 302.37 carat D colour Graff Lesedi La Rona – the largest highest colour, highest clarity diamond ever certified by the GIA and the largest square emerald cut diamond in the world.

The Lesotho Legend (910-carat)

The Lesotho Legend was unearthed in the Letšeng mine, (owned by Gem Diamonds) as a 910-carat rough diamond the size of two golf balls. This huge diamond was identified as a top D colour and Type IIa, making it one of the purest and most valuable diamonds on earth.Merely, two months after its discovery, it was sold for $40 million to an unnamed buyer in Antwerp, Belgium – the centre of the world’s diamond industry – and disappeared without a trace.

The Constellation diamond (813-carat)

The second enormous rough diamond from the Karowe mine was uncovered in Botswana in 2015. It was christened, the Constellation, weighing 813 carats also an exceptionally pure Type IIa diamond. In 2016, it was sold to Dubai-based Nemesis International and its whereabouts were unknown until, in 2019, as and when it was revealed as a sensational 313-carat emerald cut diamond at the Dubai Diamond Conference.

Christened The Constellation I, at the time of its unveiling Nemesis stated that it was not only the largest D colour diamond ever graded by the GIA but also the first UAE-crafted stone of importance because the majority of the cutting and polishing took place in the country.

The Peace Diamond (709-carat)

The 709-carat Peace Diamond was discovered by a team of local diggers in Sierra Leone. Accidentally, sifting through the grit and sand in a muddy mining pool, one of the miners happened upon a diamond that measured 2.5 inches wide by 1 inch deep. Their employer a pastor took it straight to the government instead of selling it off for personal gain. The government announced that it would sell the diamond, and others that followed, through legitimate channels in a completely transparent manner. It was thus rightly named the Peace Diamond because a part of the proceeds of its sale would directly benefit the community in which the miners lived, the 709-carat stone was sold to the jeweller and diamantaire Laurence Graff for $6.5 million in December 2017.

The Lesotho Promise diamond (603-carat)

In August 2006, Gem Diamonds announced that it had uncovered a 603-carat diamond at its Letšeng mine that was a top D colour and Type IIa. It was named the Lesotho Promise, and subsequently sold off to Graff for $12.36 million and the jeweller’s cutting and polishing division, SAFDICO, set about transforming it into 26 D Flawless polished diamonds, including an impressive 76.41 carat pear-shape diamond, all of which were set into the single, spectacular Lesotho Promise necklace.

The Wynn diamond (581-carat)

Unlike most diamonds of extraordinary size discovered in the past, the 581-carat Wynn diamond remains a complete mystery since its unearthing. First discovered in 2002 in the Amazon River in Brazil, it was expertly cut and polished in Antwerp, yielding a magnificent H colour, VS1 clarity 230-carat pear shape stone that was sold to Steve Wynn in 2007. Wynn, reportedly set the stone in an incredible Cartier diamond necklace, after which its been untraceable.

The Diavik diamond (552-carat)

The Diavik diamond was uncovered in one of the most inhospitable environments on earth, at Canada’s Diavik mine. Its a yellow diamond weighing almost 552 carats nearly as big as a chicken’s egg. Due to its unique structure, texture and colour (most of the stones discovered at Diavik are colourless diamonds), Dominion, which owns the mine, announced that it wasn’t planning on selling the rough diamond. Instead, it is the process of being cut and polished by a master cutter, the results of which are yet to be unveiled.

The Letšeng Star (550-carat)

Recovered in August 2011 the 550-carat Letšeng Star at Letšeng mine in the Maluti Mountains (Owned by Gem Diamonds), this rough diamond was sold to the diamantaire Laurence Graff, who employed the skills of Graff’s expert diamond cutters to polish the stone in-house. It yielded a superb collection of D Flawless stones, including 12 identical pairs of pear shape diamonds, alongside the principal stone: a spectacular 33 carat pear-shape diamond.

It is intriguing to ponder that there could be more epic diamonds hidden deep in the ground, just waiting to be found. Only time will tell when the next record-breaking stone will be revealed.