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41-Carat Blue Diamond Found in Botswana
It’s reportedly the biggest blue diamond ever recovered in the country and was cut into a 20.46-carat oval.
“The Okavango Blue of Botswana” is a 20.46-carat oval-shaped diamond cut from a 41.1-carat chunk of rough recovered from Botswana’s Orapa mine in May 2018.
Gaborone, Botswana—The Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) has announced the cutting and polishing of what it says is the largest blue diamond ever found in Botswana.
Debswana, the mining company jointly owned by De Beers Group and the government of Botswana, dug up the 41.1-carat rough stone at the Orapa mine in May 2018.
ODC, owned by the Botswana government, purchased the rough and dubbed it “The Okavango Blue of Botswana” in September 2018.
It began polishing the diamond in December.
This month, the company unveiled the polished result to the public with a bit of fanfare that includes the below promotional video and even a poem.
The Gemological Institute of America has graded the Type IIb 20.46-carat oval-shaped diamond as fancy deep blue with VVS2 clarity.
ODC noted in the news release on the stone what many in the jewelry industry already know, that the mineral boron, present in ocean rock during volcanic-forming activity 1-3 billion years ago, is responsible for creating the diamond’s blue hue.
RELATED CONTENT—Going Deep: What the GIA Just Learned About Blue Diamonds
The company’s managing director, Marcus ter Haar, said: “From the first moment we saw the diamond, it was clear we had something very special. Everyone who has viewed the 20-carat polished diamond has marveled at its unique coloration, which many see as unlike any blue stone they have seen before.
“It is incredibly unusual for a stone of this color and nature to have come from Botswana—a once-in-a-lifetime find, which is about as rare as a star in the Milky Way. At ODC we have access to 15 percent of Debswana’s run-of-mine production and feel extremely fortunate to be involved in such a singular find.”
The stone has its own website and dedicated social media accounts.
ODC said it will put The Okavango Blue up for sale in November.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Okavango Diamond Company (@okavangodiamondcompany) on Apr 17, 2019 at 1:10am PDT
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