Miners unearth pink diamond thought to be largest observed in 300 years

Miners in Angola have unearthed a rare pure pink diamond that’s thought to be the largest within 300 years, the Australian site operator announced Wednesday.

A 170 carat pink diamonddubbed The Lulo Rosewas discovered at Lulo mine in the country’s diamond-rich northeast and is probably the largest pink diamonds ever found, the Lucapa Diamond Company said in a statement to investors.

The “historic” find of the sort IIa diamond, among the rarest and purest types of natural stones, was welcomed by the Angolan government, that is also a partner in the mine.

“This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola being an important player on the planet stage,” Angola’s Mineral Resources Minister Diamantino Azevedo said.

The diamond will undoubtedly be sold at international tender, likely at a dazzling price.

EVEN THOUGH Lulo Rose would need to be cut and polished to understand its true value, in an activity that can visit a stone lose 50 percent of its weight, similar pink diamonds have sold for record-breaking prices.

The 59.6 carat Pink Star was sold at a Hong Kong auction in 2017 for 71.2 million US dollars. It remains probably the most expensive diamond ever sold.

2022 AFP