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A foto-feast of four delicious diamonds

Four of the most magnificent diamonds in recent years have come from the same Lucara-owned Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana in recent years. I thought to assemble a visual feast of delicious rough and how they polished. My sparkling smorgasbord even includes both light and dark meat.

In February of this year Lucara announced the recovery of a large diamond of exceptional purity. This immense treasure was recovered from direct milling of ore sourced from the EM/PK(S) unit of the South Lobe.

1. Feb 2020 white diamond: 549 carats

Photo credit: Lucara

And the band played on…

That same EM/PK(S) continues to provide large gem quality diamonds in a steady stream, including a series of historical rough diamonds of note. Let’s continue with images and video of three more monster finds – all within the past five years!

2. Lesedi le Rona: 1,109 carats

Photo credit: Graff

Recovered on November 16 2015, Lesedi le Rona was purchased by Laurence Graff for $53 million.

Photo credit: Forbes

We are thrilled and honored to become the new custodians of this incredible diamond. The stone will tell us its story, it will dictate how it wants to be cut, and we will take the utmost care to respect its exceptional properties. This is a momentous day in my career, and I am privileged to be given the opportunity to honour the magnificent natural beauty of the Lesedi La Rona. – Laurence Graff

Photo credit: PRNewswire.com

Lesedi le Rona – video

3. Sewelo: 1,109 carats

This dark, mysterious stranger is named Sewelô, which translated to “Rare Find.”

Photo credit: The Diamond Loupe

The diamond seemed to disappear from the news cycle shortly after making headlines. Then, in January 2020, the world was taken by surprise when French luxury brand Louis Vuitton announced their purchase of Sewelô.

Photo credit: Louis Vuitton

Nobody expects us to put such an emphasis on high jewelry. I think it will spice things up a bit. Wake up the industry. It’s a big unusual stone, which makes it right up our alley. – Michael Burke, Chief Executive of Louis Vuitton

Photo credit: TownAndCountryMag.com

A rare find, indeed. This dark exterior is thought to conceal a white interior. We will anxiously await its conversion to polished, even as we enjoy its unique rough condition.

Sewelô – Video

4. Constellation: 813 carats

Found in Botswana in November 2015, Swiss luxury de Grisogono unveiled it on September 9th 2016 at the opening of the Biennale des Antiquaires antique show in Paris.

Photo credit: HauteTime.com

Purchased in partnership with Nemesis for $63.1 million, Constellation yielded eight polished diamonds, the largest of which is 313 carats and set the record for becoming the largest D colored polished diamond in the world.

Photo credit: Expat Media

Constellation – video

Looking for dessert?

If you’re hungry for another three helpings of rough and want to polish them off (see what I did there?) with even more images and information, you may be tempted to read my countdown post covering the Largest diamond ever: Who has it? Who wins?

And for a deep-dive into the fascinating journey of Lucara Diamond Corporation co-founder Eira Thomas, please visit my review about the Queen of Diamonds here – which might find you clicking over to a story you can feast on for hours on-end.

Bon Appétit

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