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GABORONE. – Botswanan diamond firm Debswana said yesterday it had unearthed a 1 098-carat stone that it described as the third largest of its kind in the world.
The stone, found on June 1, was shown to President Mokgweetsi Masisi in the capital Gaborone.
“It is believed to be the third largest gem-quality find in the world,” said Debswana’s managing director, Lynette Armstrong.
The “rare and extraordinary stone … means so much in the context of diamonds and Botswana,” she said.
“It brings hope to a nation that is struggling.”
It is also the biggest stone of gem quality to be discovered in the history of the company, a joint venture between the government and the global diamond giant De Beers.
The world’s biggest diamond was the 3 106-carat Cullinan, found in South Africa in 1905.
The second largest was the 1–109-carat Lesedi La Rona, discovered at Karowe in north-eastern Botswana in 2015.
Botswana is Africa’s leading diamond producer. – AFP
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