Posted on 09/11/2010 3:32:18 PM PDT by epithermal
An “exceptional” 196ct rough white diamond was recovered from Gem Diamonds Ltd’s majority-owned Letseng mine in Lesotho last month.
On announcing its August 24 recovery, the company said: “this remarkable rough diamond is expected to achieve a substantial price per carat as preliminary examinations indicate that it is expected to produce top colour and top clarity polished diamonds”.
The Letseng mine has produced three of the world’s 20 largest diamonds since Gem Diamonds acquired the asset in 2006. These include the 603ct Lesotho Promise (in August 2006) worth US$12.4 million, the 493ct Letseng Legacy (in September 2007) worth US$10.4 million, and the 478ct Light of Letseng (in September 2008) worth US$18.4 million.
Clifford Elphick, Gem Diamonds chief executive, said: “Letseng continues to live up to its reputation as a unique producer of exceptional diamonds and the recovery of this remarkable 196ct white diamond reinforces its position as one of the great mines in the diamond industry.”
Gem Diamonds owns 70% of the Letseng mine, with the remainder held by the government of Lesotho.
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. :-)
how much does it weigh? Sounds like its too big for a ring... heh
196 Carats = 1.3233247 pounds
good gosh...
so... will it be cut into matching ring/necklace/bracelet/earrings??
or kept as it is for showing off?
It could possibly make 196 one-carat solitaires rings or multiple jewelry pieces.
I’ve heard that the average engagement ring stone size is about one-third of a carat.
Well, maybe not 196, because there’s always waste.
I’ve seen glass prettier than that
Don’t forget the Four C’s.
Carat Weight is only one factor.
Then there’s Clarity , Color, and Cut.
OK, forget about CUT, and you can’t tell much from the photo about the other two things either.
So right now it’s just a big white rock! LOL.
OK, they say it’s top clarity too, but wait till they cut it.
They HAD BETTER do a GOOD JOB! hahahahha
The Millenium Star, shown here, is the world's second biggest flaweless diamond, weighing 203 carats. The newly-discovered stone could produce an even larger gem. Read more at the Daily Mail, UK
Uhh, no. One carat = 1/5 gram. 196 ct. divided by 5 = 39.2 grams. That's a bit more than one and a quarter ounces Troy (T. oz = 31.013481 grams, 155.51 ct.) Still, it's a big honkin' diamond, especially since it has top color and clarity.
World's Largest Diamond
Golden Jubilee Diamond
The Golden Jubilee is the largest faceted diamond in the world, weighing 545.67 carats. The stone was designed by Gabi Tolkowsky, who also designed the 273.85-carat Centenary Diamond, which is the largest D-Flawless diamond in the world. The Golden Jubilee was presented to the King of Thailand in 1997 for his Golden Jubilee - the 50th anniversary of his coronation. Prior to this event, the stone was simply known as the Unnamed Brown.
Tolkowsky describes the Golden Jubilee's cut as a "fire rose cushion cut." The color has been graded as "fancy yellow-brown", even though the above photo makes it look almost dark orange. It is only 15.37 carats larger than the Cullinan I, also known as the Star of Africa.
196 ct = 0.086421 lb OR 0 lb and 1.38 oz
I think that is better. Thanks.
Sorry, but the 6,000 ct. "diamond" proved to be fluorite instead -- a complete hoax. Diamond Hoax But the Daily Mail never lets facts get in the way of a good story.
No idea what you're talking about.
“Sounds like its too big for a ring”
I think many a gal would love to prove you wrong on that one!
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