A 170-carat pink diamond discovered in Angola could be the largest such gemstone found in 300 years, Australian mining company Lucapa Diamond Company said.
According to the Gemological Institute of America, a diamond mining researcher, Angola’s mines are among the ten largest diamond producers in the world. In alluvial diamond mining, stones are extracted from gravel and sand found in riverbeds.
According to Steven Weatherall, Managing Director of Lucapa Diamond Company, only one in 10,000 diamonds found is colored.
“And only one in every 100 diamonds is over 10.8 carats, so finding a 170 carat pink diamond means we’re dealing with an extremely rare item,” Weatherall told CNN.
“We used to extract pink diamonds, but finding diamonds of this size is extremely rare,” he said.
“Rose Lulo” is still being evaluated to determine its approximate value before being sold at auction. Credits: Lucapa Diamond Company
The pink gemstone is expected to be auctioned off by Angolan state-owned diamond trading company Sodiam. Wetherall declined to give an estimate of its value because the diamond is still being explored and valued.
The Angolan government also welcomed the “historic” extraction of the gem.
“The record and impressive pink diamond mined at Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player in the global diamond mining scene and demonstrates the potential and value of commitment and investment in our growing diamond industry,” said Diamantino Azevedo, Minister of Angola. minerals, oil and gas.
Angola’s largest diamond, dubbed the February 4th Birthstone, was mined at the Lulo mine in February 2016, according to Lucapa. The 404.2 carat stone was sold for $16 million.
