On Monday, Australia's Lucapa Diamond Company announced a record-breaking, 404.2-carat diamond was just discovered by their miners in Lulo, Angola. Estimated to be worth at least $20 million AUD (approx. $14.36 million USD), the stone is roughly three-inches long, and is now the largest stone to be discovered in Angola. It’s the biggest stone ever recovered by an Australian diamond miner and the 27th largest diamond in the world. In addition to its massive size, the stone was also classified as a virtually flawless Type IIa diamond, and given a colorless rating.
This isn’t a first for the Lucapa Diamond Company as the Lulo mines have yielded four 100+ carat diamonds and 114 “large special diamonds” over 10.8 carats to date. The last large diamond discovered in the mine was a total of 113.4 carats. “We have always emphasized the very special nature of the Lulo diamond field and this recover—together with the other 100 carat-plus diamonds recovered this year alone—is further evidence of that,” Lucapa Diamond Company’s Chief Executive Stephen Wetherall said in a statement.
