Third Largest Diamond in the World Found as Claimed by Botswana

Botswana says they have discovered the world’s third largest diamond. The famous company Debswana found this on June 1. Later, on June 2, Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi saw the newly discovered gem in Gaborone.

Lynette Armstrong, the Managing Director of Debswana, said the newly discovered gem is the third largest diamond in the world. Further, she added that it is extraordinary and rare. Finally, she concluded by saying it means a lot to Botswana and in the context of a diamond. Lastly, she exclaimed that this newly discovered could show some sign of hope to the struggling nation.

Details about third largest diamond

The third largest diamond is 1098 carats and is yet to get a name for itself. It measures around 27mm in thickness, 73mm in height, and 52 mm in width. This gem is the largest gem present in the Debswana’s history.

Debswana is a joint venture of De Beers, a global diamond giant, and the government.

So far, the largest diamond present in the entire world with Cullinan, which is 3,106 carats. In the year 1905, South Africa discovered this.

The second that comes from the largest diamond list is the Lesedi La Rona, which resembles a tennis ball in its size. The diamond is 1109 carats. It was found in the northeastern part of Botswana in a place called Karowe in 2015.

COVID-19 pandemic impact on Botswana

Africa’s leading diamond producer is Botswana.

Lefoko Moagi, who is the mineral minister, says the gem discovery is a boon after the coronavirus pandemic. And it has left a massive impact on the sales of diamonds since the year 2020.

The Botswana government gets around 80% through the taxes, dividends, and royalties of Debswana’s sales. However, 2020 hit Botswana hard, and the percentage of production fell to 29%. And the sales also fell to 30%. Subsequently, it is evident that the pandemic left a significant impact on demand and production.

This year, Debswana has plans to margin up their output by 38%, which means around 23m carat production. The company takes this decision seeing the current scenario and the reopening of jewelry shops and lifting up of travel restrictions.