Lucapa Says This 170-Carat Diamond Is the Largest Pink Found in 300 Years
The type II diamond came out of the Lulo alluvial mine in Angola and will be sold via international tender.
Lucapa Diamond Company Limited, Endiama E.P. and Rosas & Petalas, partners in operating the Lulo mine, announced the discovery Wednesday.
They’ve dubbed the stone “The Lulo Rose,” and claim it’s the largest pink diamond unearthed in 300 years, making its recovery a “significant day” for the Angolan diamond industry, said José Manuel Ganga Júnior, chairman of the board of Endiama, Angola’s state-run diamond company.
Lucapa said the last pink diamond to exceed the Lulo Rose in size was the rough that resulted in the 242-carat pink “Great Table Diamond,” which famous jeweler and traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier wrote about in 1642.
The Great Table did not survive.
According to Lang Antiques’ Antique Jewelry University, the diamond was involved in an “unrecorded accident” and had to be cut into two smaller stones, the 182-carat “Darya-ye-Noor” (also spelled “Darya-i-Noor”) and the 60-carat “Nul-ul-Ain.”
The Darya-ye-Noor is now part of the Iranian Crown Jewels and is currently held in the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran.

While the discovery of a 170-carat pink diamond is rare, The Lulo Rose is the 27th 100-carat-plus diamond recovered from Lulo since Lucapa and its partners began mining there in January 2015.
Lulo has produced Angola’s two largest diamonds on record, the biggest of which was the 404-carat “4th February Stone.”
Mined in February 2016, the Type IIa D-color stone sold the following month for $16 million, or nearly $40,000 per carat.
In a statement on the discovery of The Lulo Rose, Lucapa Managing Director Stephen Wetherall called the alluvial mine an “exceptional resource” that is “a gift.”
“We are once again made very proud by yet another historic recovery,” he said. “We too look forward to our partnership progressing its exploration effort, where we are now bulk sampling the priority kimberlites, in search for the primary kimberlite sources of these exceptional and high-value diamonds.”
Lucapa said the company is not releasing any estimates on The Lulo Rose’s potential sale price.
Sodiam E.P., Angola’s state-owned diamond marketing company, will sell the diamond via an international tender at a yet-to-be-determined date.
The Latest

He was previously editor-in-chief at Hodinkee.

It’s the hero piece of the emerging designer’s new “Wavy Baby” collection.

Sponsored by HiBid

Rio Grande provides a pathway to responsibly sourced gemstones.

The job market is tight, making it paramount for employers to have the type of culture employees really crave, Peter Smith writes.


The jewelry company has also hired a new chief marketing officer.

“Aerial” is edgy and glamorous, inspired by nature’s wild forms.

From laboratory-grown diamonds to design to country-of-origin, GIA's Alumni Collective™ has a seminar to suite your needs.

8X is now the top cut grade on both platforms, above Ideal.

It is the first tennis bracelet collab for the legend, whose lost-and-found moment put the term “tennis bracelet” in the jewelry lexicon.

The company posted a strong start to the year but is cautious about the second half.

The event will bring gems, minerals, and fossils under one roof from Sept. 8-11 in Denver.

The announcement preceded the Danish company’s release of its second-quarter results.

Columnist Lilian Raji continues her tour of the customer journey by asking, who is your customer? And, what do they like?

The unisex style succeeds in several ways while saying a lot about what’s trending in jewelry, writes Senior Editor, Fashion, Ashley Davis.

Customs officers in Cincinnati intercepted the shipments in early August, finding counterfeit Cartier jewels and Rolex watches.

“A Walk in the Woods” will open at the brand’s Madison Avenue flagship this fall.

The Jewelers Vigilance Committee’s Sara Yood will give an overview of what the FTC guidelines currently say and what may be changing.

The loans will go mostly to the import of machinery rather than working capital, according to a recent article from The Economic Times.

The company is also continuing its retail expansion.

The sale also will include a third Rolex, with all three watches tied to Barrett’s 1979 attempt to break the world record for land speed.

It mixes diamond shapes and colors.

“Art as Jewelry as Art” features works from artists like Salvador Dalí, Alexander Calder, and Max Ernst.

The jeweler is relocating his Beverly Hills store after 20 years and has begun developing a lifestyle brand.

It’s the company’s seventh showroom opening this year.

The Belgian organization is calling for entries from all over the world, with an eye on attracting emerging talent.