Sourcing

121-Carat Rough Diamond From Cullinan Goes for $6 Million

SourcingJul 06, 2016

121-Carat Rough Diamond From Cullinan Goes for $6 Million

Petra Diamonds Limited announced that the white diamond, recovered in South Africa last month, garnered $49,480 per carat during its June sales process.

20160706_Cullian-121carat-diamond-sells.jpg
The Cullinan mine in South Africa is responsible for some of the world’s largest diamond finds, including the greatest on record, the 3,106.75-carat Cullinan Dream, discovered in 1905.

Johannesburg--The most recent large diamond find from South Africa’s Cullinan mine, a 121-carat rough recovered in June, has sold.

Petra Diamonds Limited announced that the white diamond went for $6 million, or $49,480 per carat, during the company’s June sales process.

The rock was purchased by diamond manufacturers Nemesis International and Golden Yellow Diamonds in a joint venture. Both companies specialize in large diamonds.

The sale comes in the wake of last week’s failed Sotheby’s auction of a 1,109-carat rough diamond found at Lucara Diamond Corp.’s Karowe mine in Botswana.

Called “Lesedi la Rona,” it was the second-largest rough diamond ever found.

Lucara chose to sell the Lesedi la Rona at a public auction, instead of a normal tender within the diamond market, to ascertain whether buyers would be interested in a rough diamond as a collectable, similar to high-value art.

Bidding for the stone failed to meet its reserve.

Lucara had better luck with its 812.77-carat rough diamond, also mined from Karowe, named “The Constellation,” which sold in a traditional diamond-industry-only tender for $63.1 million, or $77,649 per carat, in May.

The Constellation also sold to Nemesis International, one of the buyers of the 121-carat Cullinan rough diamond.

Ashley Davisis the senior editor, fashion at National Jeweler, covering all things related to design, style and trends.

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