LONDON – When the largest rough diamond in more than a hundred years comes up for auction at Sotheby’s London on 29 June, it will be a major event – and for good reason. First, at 1,109 carats and roughly the size of a tennis ball, this historic stone would make any other gem look diminutive. Second, given that it has already been identified by the Gemological Institute of America as possessing exceptional quality and transparency, it might make other precious stones look a bit dull. So it stands to reason that the Lesedi La Rona, which means “our light” in Botswana’s Tswana language, will be offered at a stand-alone sale, and that Sotheby’s jewellery division chairman David Bennett would call it “the find of a lifetime.” He adds, “No rough even remotely of this scale has ever been offered before at public auction.”
Bennett’s words are no hyperbole: Unearthed last November in the Lucara Diamond Corporation’s Karowe mine in Botswana, the spectacular rough crystal provoked much astonishment and exultation as it emerged from the mass of mined material. The last time such a momentous rough diamond was discovered dates back to 1905, when the 3,106.75-carat rough Cullinan Diamond was discovered at the Cullinan Mine near Pretoria, South Africa. Presented to King Edward VII two years later, it was subsequently cut, yielding nine polished diamonds of superb quality. One of them, the 530.20-carat Great Star of Africa, became the largest top-quality polished diamond in existence and was set into Queen Elizabeth II’s sceptre. The other eight all became part of the Crown Jewels of Great Britain. After holding the title of largest D colour diamond for nearly a century, the Great Star of Africa may soon have to relinquish it, as independent reports indicate that the Lesedi La Rona – although weighing less than the Cullinan in the rough – may have the potential to yield the new largest top-quality diamond that has ever been cut and polished.
Bennett’s words are no hyperbole: Unearthed last November in the Lucara Diamond Corporation’s Karowe mine in Botswana, the spectacular rough crystal provoked much astonishment and exultation as it emerged from the mass of mined material. The last time such a momentous rough diamond was discovered dates back to 1905, when the 3,106.75-carat rough Cullinan Diamond was discovered at the Cullinan Mine near Pretoria, South Africa. Presented to King Edward VII two years later, it was subsequently cut, yielding nine polished diamonds of superb quality. One of them, the 530.20-carat Great Star of Africa, became the largest top-quality polished diamond in existence and was set into Queen Elizabeth II’s sceptre. The other eight all became part of the Crown Jewels of Great Britain. After holding the title of largest D colour diamond for nearly a century, the Great Star of Africa may soon have to relinquish it, as independent reports indicate that the Lesedi La Rona – although weighing less than the Cullinan in the rough – may have the potential to yield the new largest top-quality diamond that has ever been cut and polished.
