Photo Credits: Gem Diamonds
One of the highest dollar-per-carat kimberlite diamond mines in the world has sold the fifth largest diamond in history.
Early January, Gem Diamonds announced the recovery of the D color Type IIa 901-carat diamond from the Letšeng mine, which is situated in the country of Lesotho in Southern Africa. Type IIa diamonds are the purest and most valuable type of diamonds for its little to no nitrogen atoms in the crystal’s structure.
“Since Gem Diamonds acquired Letšeng in 2006, the mine has produced some of the world’s most remarkable diamonds, including the 603-carat ‘Lesotho Promise’, however, this exceptional top quality diamond is the largest to be mined to date and highlights the unsurpassed quality of the Letšeng mine,” said CEO of Gem Diamonds, Clifford Elphick.
The 901-carat diamond named “The Lesotho Legend” was bought for $40 million by an unnamed buyer in Antwerp, Germany according to Gem Diamonds.
“This is a landmark recovery for all of Gem Diamonds’ stakeholders, including our employees, shareholders and the Government of Lesotho, our partner in the Letšeng mine,” said Elphick.
The diamond is believed to be the fifth largest gem-quality diamond ever recovered in the history of diamond mining.
Gem Diamonds is one of the leading global diamond producers of high-value diamonds. The Company owns 70% of the Letšeng mine in Lesotho and 100% of the Ghaghoo mine in Botswana.
The Letšeng mine is famous for the production of large, top color, exceptional white diamonds, making it the highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond mine in the world.
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