The Sewelô
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 ...
is the
fourth-largest rough diamond ever found. The diamond was recovered in April 2019 by the
Lucara Diamond Corp in its
Karowe diamond mine in
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...
. The diamond is 1,758
carats and weighs 352
gram
The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one thousandth of a kilogram.
Originally defined in 1795 as "the absolute Mass versus weight, weight of a volume ...
s or 12.39 oz.
At the time it was found, ''Sewelô'' was the largest diamond in Botswana's history, surpassing the 1,111 carats (222 g, 7.83 oz.)
Lesedi La Rona
Lesedi La Rona, formerly known in media as Karowe AK6 or as Quad 1 by the personnel at the mine, is the fifth-largest diamond ever found, and the third-largest of gem quality. It was found in the Karowe mine, (formerly called AK6) in Botswana ...
extracted at the same mine on 16 November 2015. The Lesedi La Rona was the fourth-largest diamond ever found, and the third-largest of gem quality.
The gem was named through a competition held by Lucara. Out of 22,000 submissions the name ''Sewelô'' was chosen, which translates 'rare find' in
Setswana. In January 2020 it was announced that
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...
had purchased the diamond for an undisclosed sum. Louis Vuitton will work with
HB Antwerp to
polish the diamond and
cut it into smaller stones.
The stone is covered with a thin layer of opaque
black carbon
Black carbon (BC) is the light-absorbing refractory form of Chemical_element, elemental carbon remaining after pyrolysis (e.g., charcoal) or produced by incomplete combustion (e.g., soot).
Tihomir Novakov originated the term black carbon in ...
and its surface is pitted. It is the size of a
tennis ball
A tennis ball is a small, hollow ball used in games of tennis and real tennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in Professional sports, professional competitions, but in Amateur sports, recreational play other colors are also used. Tennis bal ...
but weighs six times more.
The HB Company has applied novel mapping methods using
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
in order to optimise the design and to maximize the chance of success in cutting the diamond. The diamond has been described as a "near-gem of variable quality, including domains of high-quality white gem", an industrial diamond with sections that could produce gem-quality stones. Further analysis was in progress as of April 2021.
See also
*
Kimberlite
Kimberlite is an igneous rock and a rare variant of peridotite. It is most commonly known as the main host matrix for diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an 83.5-Car ...
*
Lesedi La Rona
Lesedi La Rona, formerly known in media as Karowe AK6 or as Quad 1 by the personnel at the mine, is the fifth-largest diamond ever found, and the third-largest of gem quality. It was found in the Karowe mine, (formerly called AK6) in Botswana ...
*
List of diamonds
Diamond (gemstone), Diamonds occur naturally and vary in size, color, and quality, so the largest of a particular color may not be large in absolute terms, but may still be considered very desirable. Diamonds may also have high valuations in sal ...
*
List of largest rough diamonds
This is a partial list of the largest non-synthetic diamonds with a rough stone (uncut) weight of over 200 carats (40 grams). The list is not intended to be complete—e.g., the Cullinan (formerly Premier) mine alone has produced 135 diamonds la ...
*
List of diamond mines
There are a limited number of commercially available diamond mining, mines currently operating in the world, with the 50 largest mines accounting for approximately 90% of global supply. Diamonds are also mined alluvium, alluvially over disperse ...
*
List of mines in Botswana
References
External links
Lucara Diamond website
2019 in Botswana
Diamonds originating in Botswana
Individual diamonds
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