Mining company claims diamond is world’s second-largest

Miners in Karowe, Botswana unearthed the massive 2,492-carat diamond after discovering it with X-ray technology, the Canada-based Lucara Diamond Corp. said on Wednesday. Since 2017, the company has used an X-ray system to detect particularly large stones in its mines. The same mine previously yielded a 1,758-carat diamond called Sewelô and the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona. The discovery of this new diamond cements the Karowe mine’s reputation as one of the top diamond mines in the world, Lucara CEO William Lamb said.

What’s the world’s biggest diamond? A superintendent at the Premier Mine in South Africa discovered the world’s largest recorded diamond in 1905, according to jewelry insurer BiteCo. The 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, named after the mine’s owner Thomas Cullinan, weighs almost a pound and a half. Diamond cutter Joseph Asscher later broke the diamond down into ten pieces. The largest of those pieces is known as the Great Star of Africa and resides in the United Kingdom’s Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross.

What are the labor conditions like in Botswana’s mines? The Global Union conglomerate IndustriALL alleged in 2020 that mining companies in Botswana engaged in union-busting activities to disrupt worker’s ability to fight for better wages and working conditions. The report named several companies allegedly engaging in the practice but did not mention Lucara. Human Rights Watch alleged in 2018 that diamond mines elsewhere in Africa featured forced labor and inhumane working conditions but did not name Botswana or Lucara.

Lucara said Wednesday that its diamond mines benefit Botswana’s society and economy by boosting its education and healthcare industries. The company published a report earlier this year discussing its efforts to prevent child and forced labor in its supply chains and work locations.

Dig deeper: Listen to a recent kicker on The World and Everything in It podcast about how a baker lost her diamond ring while making batter… and advised customers to bite down softly.