The Lesotho Promise, a 603
carat (121 g)
diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
of exceptional colour was unearthed on 22 August 2006 at the
Letseng diamond mine in the mountain kingdom of
Lesotho
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
. Announced on 4 October 2006, it was the largest reported find this century and the 15th largest diamond ever found. The stone is
rated 'D', the top colour band for diamonds.
The diamond was sold at an
auction
An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
on 9 October 2006 in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, for
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
12.4 million. The buyer, The South African Diamond Corporatio
(SAFDICO) expected to sell the diamond for more than US$20 million after cutting.
In July 2007 the finished stones were unveiled. The largest gem cut from the crystal is a pear-shaped diamond, and the smallest is a round brilliant. In all, twenty-six stones were fashioned from the rough gem, figuring as seven pear shapes, four emerald cuts, thirteen round brilliants and one heart shape. The finished gems total .
The
Lesotho Brown (usually simply called the Lesotho) at 601 carats (120 g) was the largest diamond previously found at the mine.
See also
*
List of famous diamonds
References
External links
Graff Diamonds Lesotho Promise stone and necklace(SAFDICO)DIAMCAD ANTWERP
Individual diamonds
Diamonds originating in Lesotho
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