Massive Pink Diamond Found in Angola
A huge pink diamond discovered in Angola is believed to be the largest such gemstone found in 300 years.
The 170-carat "Lulo Rose" was found at the Lulo diamond mine, according to the Lucapa Diamond Company, which owns the mine.
"Only one in 10,000 diamonds is colored pink. So you're certainly looking at a very rare article when you find a very large pink diamond," Lucapa CEO Stephen Wetherall told The Associated Press.
Lulo is an alluvial mine, meaning the stones are taken from a riverbed. But Wetherall said Lucapa is searching for the underground deposits — known as kimberlite pipes — which are the main source of the alluvial diamonds and are responsible for bringing them to the surface.
About 400 staff are employed at the Lulo mine which has already produced the two largest diamonds ever found in Angola, including a 404-carat clear diamond, Wetherall said.
The pink gemstone is the fifth largest diamond found at the mine, where 27 diamonds of 100 carats or more have been found, according to Lucapa.
Diamantino Azevedo, Angola's Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas said the diamond shows Angola's important position in the diamond mining industry. Angola's is one of the world's top 10 diamond producers.
The Lulo Rose will be auctioned by the Angolan state diamond marketing company, Sodiam, likely at a very high price.
The most expensive diamond ever sold is the 59.6-carat Pink Star, auctioned in 2017 for $71.2 million in Hong Kong.
But the largest diamond ever found is the Cullinan diamond at 3,106 carats, found in South Africa in 1905. It was given to King Edward VII of England in 1907, and then cut into stones of different sizes.
The largest piece of it, the Great Star of Africa, is believed to be worth about $400 million.
