The 1 109 ct ‘Lesedi La Rona’ diamond
Photo by: Lucara Diamond Corp
VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Canadian diamond junior Lucara Diamond Corp has sold its 1 109 ct Lesedi La Rona diamond for $53-million, or $47 777/ct, the company announced on Monday.
Discovered in November 2015, the precious stone ranks as the second-largest diamond ever found, and consolidates the company’s flagship Karowe mine, in Botswana, as a regular producer of desirable exceptionally rare and large diamonds.
The buyer, Graff Diamonds, said it would let the tennis ball-sized diamond dictate how it would be cut, “taking the utmost care to respect its exceptional properties”.
"We took our time to find a buyer who would take the diamond through its next stage of evolution. The price paid is also an improvement on the highest bid received at the Sotheby's auction in June 2016. Graff Diamonds is now the owner of the Lesedi La Rona as well as the 373 ct diamond, purchased earlier this year, which formed part of the original stone,” commented Lucara president and CEO William Lamb.