CrimeNov 20, 2024
Sotheby’s to Pay $6.25M Settlement to NY State for Alleged Tax FraudThe auction house was accused of helping clients avoid paying taxes on millions of dollars’ worth of art purchased from 2010 to 2020.
SourcingMar 22, 2016
1,111-carat diamond found in Botswana
The Type IIa stone is the second-largest gem-quality diamond ever recovered, and the biggest find in more than a century.
Vancouver, B.C.--Lucara Diamond Corp. President and CEO William Lamb knew that it was either very good or very bad news when his phone rang at 1:28 a.m. Monday morning Vancouver time.
Lucara President and CEO William Lamb said the 1,111-carat diamond workers found Monday at the company’s Karowe Mine is “slightly smaller than a tennis ball.”
It turned out to be the former, as he learned that workers at the company’s Karowe Mine in Botswana had recovered a “magnificent” stone: a 1,111-carat Type IIa diamond that goes down in the record books as the second-largest gem-quality diamond ever found.
Only the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, which was discovered in January 1905 at the Premier mine in South Africa and later cleaved by Joseph Asscher, is bigger.
Workers recovered the stone from materials that originated in the mine’s south lobe, an area that has yielded three 300-carat-plus rough diamonds this year, including a 342-carat stone that Lucara sold in July for $20.5 million.
Still, when that call came in Monday, Lamb was “very, very surprised,” he told National Jeweler in an interview Thursday morning.
While he isn’t shocked by the recovery of 300-, 400- or even 500-carat stones from the mine anymore, a 1,000-carat diamond is something differently entirely. “A thousand carats … I think it would be a surprise for anybody,” he said.
The diamond, which measures 65 mm x 56 mm x 40 mm, is too large to fit in any of the rough evaluation machines Lucara has on-site in Botswana and likely will be sent to Antwerp for further evaluation. Lamb, who has not yet seen the stone in person, said what he knows from his employees on the ground in Botswana is that the diamond is a Type IIa and likely is “top color,” meaning D, E or F, and high clarity as well.
He said it is “almost impossible” at this point to estimate a sale price for the stone, or what it could yield in terms of polished diamonds.
Gem Diamonds sold a 603-carat diamond, the “Lesotho Promise,” for $12.4 million in 2006, and Petra Diamonds got $35.3 million for a 507-carat diamond in 2010.
But this diamond is much bigger, Lamb pointed out, and has added historical value as the world’s second-largest diamond behind the Cullinan. It is also the largest diamond ever found in Botswana and the largest ever recovered through a modern processing facility.
Lucara, which accounts for only 0.83 percent of global diamond production but is responsible for a high percentage of the big diamond discoveries these days, found the 1,111-carat stone using its newly installed Large Diamond Recovery (LDR) XRT machines.
The machines scan pre-cleaned material recovered from diamond mines for large chunks of carbon.
The machines scan pre-cleaned material recovered from diamond mines for large chunks of carbon.
Also this week, the Vancouver-based mining company found another incredible diamond, an 813-carater discovered late Tuesday.
Lamb said more information on that diamond will be available next week.
More on Sourcing
The Latest
Events & AwardsNov 20, 2024
Kering Debuts New Jewelry Award With Sustainability FocusThe four finalists will present their pieces at the 2025 JCK Las Vegas show.
CollectionsNov 20, 2024
Pamela Love Channels Surrealist Artists in New CollectionThe “Camera Oscura” collection showcases earring designs celebrating female Surrealist artists Claude Cahun and Leonor Fini.
Brought to you by
Navigating Cybersecurity: Essential Guidance for JewelersFrom protecting customer data to safeguarding inventory records, it's crucial to learn how to tackle cybersecurity challenges.
Policies & IssuesNov 20, 2024
Columbia Gem House Raises $10K for Reforestation EffortsThe money will fund the planting of 10,000 trees in critical areas across Oregon, Arizona, Montana, and other regions.
Weekly QuizNov 14, 2024
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Events & AwardsNov 20, 2024
The Jewelry Symposium Opens Registration, Scholarship ApplicationsThe event centered on advancing jewelry manufacturing technology will return to Detroit in May 2025.
CrimeNov 19, 2024
Woman Killed in Armed Robbery of Sacramento Jewelry StoreLocal reports identified the woman as the wife of the jewelry store owner.
Brought to you by
Enhance Your Expertise with IGI’s In-Person Courses in NYCThis fall, sharpen your skills in jewelry grading, quality control and diamond assessment.
AuctionsNov 19, 2024
‘A Tsar’s Treasure’ Fetches $2.9M at Sotheby’s Jewelry SaleA collection of pieces owned by Ferdinand I, the first king of modern Bulgaria, and his family, blew away estimates in Geneva last week.
MajorsNov 19, 2024
Trove Opens First US Flagship in NYCThe Australian jewelry box brand’s new West Village store will showcase new jewelers each month through its Designer in Residence program.
CollectionsNov 19, 2024
Snoop Dogg’s New Jewelry Collection Is All About Love“Lovechild” was created in partnership with Carolyn Rafaelian’s Metal Alchemist brand.
EditorsNov 18, 2024
Q&A: Helzberg CEO Brad Hampton on the Jeweler’s RebrandHampton discussed how Helzberg is improving the customer experience and why it was inspired by the company formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts.
Policies & IssuesNov 18, 2024
Reciprocity Jewels Returns to NYC Jewelry WeekThe group will host several curated events and an exhibition of designer jewelry made with Peruvian gold traceable to the miners’ names.
CollectionsNov 18, 2024
Dolly Parton Shines in Collaboration with Kendra ScottThe collection honors the 50th anniversary of Dolly Parton’s “Love is Like a Butterfly” song, which shares a birth year with Kendra Scott.
Events & AwardsNov 18, 2024
IGI Jewelry Design Competition ReturnsThis year’s theme asks designers to take inspiration from classic fairy tales.
EditorsNov 15, 2024
Why Fine Jewelry Belongs at New York Comic ConSenior Editor Lenore Fedow makes the case for why more jewelers should be appealing to nerds at the annual event.
CollectionsNov 15, 2024
Marie Lichtenberg Battles Counterfeits with New ‘Raiz’in Scapular’ DesignsThe latest “Raiz’in” drop showcases a newly designed “Scapular” necklace and donates a portion of the proceeds to Make-A-Wish France.
WatchesNov 15, 2024
Piece of the Week: Citizen’s Commemorative Pocket WatchNo. 1 out of 100, the timepiece was created to mark Citizen’s 100th anniversary and will be auctioned off at Sotheby’s next month.
Recorded WebinarsNov 15, 2024
Watch: 10 Tips to Keep Your Jewelry Store Secure On the latest episode of “My Next Question,” two experts share best practices for store security during the holidays and year-round.
AuctionsNov 14, 2024
18th-Century Diamond Necklace Sells for Nearly $5M Sotheby’s sold the necklace, which potentially has ties to Marie-Antoinette, for $4.8 million to a woman bidding via phone.
MajorsNov 14, 2024
Saks Fifth Avenue Cancels Holiday Light DisplayInstead of its usual elaborate display, the store will illuminate its façade and frame the windows to highlight its flagship’s architecture.
WatchesNov 14, 2024
Grand Seiko Partners With Ben Bridge on First Hawaii Store The new Grand Seiko boutique is located in Honolulu’s Waikiki neighborhood.
AuctionsNov 13, 2024
Aga Khan Emerald Sells for $8.8M, Sets RecordThe emerald brooch-turned-pendant returned to auction after 55 years, setting a world record for most expensive emerald sold at auction.
AuctionsNov 13, 2024
‘Exceptional’ Burmese Ruby Ring Tops $5M at Auction Phillips also sold a 1.21-carat fancy red diamond dubbed the “Red Miracle” for more than $1 million at its jewelry auction in Geneva.
MajorsNov 13, 2024
Ariana Grande, Anya Taylor-Joy Star in Holiday Jewelry CampaignsFrom Swarovski to Tiffany & Co., jewelry retailers are enlisting celebrities to highlight their holiday offerings.
MajorsNov 13, 2024
Royal Chain’s New Catalog Is Out NowThe 2024-2025 book introduces hundreds of new designs.
FinancialsNov 12, 2024
Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels Continue to Shine for Richemont Richemont’s jewelry sales ticked up 2 percent in the first half of the year, while watch sales plummeted 17 percent.
