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Miners unearth pink diamond believed to be largest seen in 300 years

───   10:19 Thu, 28 Jul 2022

Miners unearth pink diamond believed to be largest seen in 300 years | News Article
PHOTO: Twitter

Miners in Angola have unearthed a rare, pure pink diamond that is believed to be the largest found in 300 years, the Australian site operator announced on Wednesday.

A 170-carat pink diamond - dubbed The Lulo Rose - was discovered at the Lulo Mine in the country's diamond-rich northeast. It is among the largest pink diamonds ever found, the Lucapa Diamond Company Ltd said in a statement to investors. The company is a unique, growing diamond producer with two high-value mines in Angola (Lulo) and Lesotho (Mothae).

The "historic" find of the Type IIa diamond, one of the rarest and purest forms of natural stones, was welcomed by the Angolan government, which is also a partner in the mine.

"This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage," Angola's Mineral Resources Minister, Diamantino Azevedo, said.

The diamond will be sold at international tender, likely at a dazzling price.

Although The Lulo Rose would have to be cut and polished to realise its true value - in a process that can see a stone lose 50 percent of its weight - similar pink diamonds have sold for record-breaking prices.

The 59.6-carat Pink Star was sold at a Hong Kong auction in 2017 for $71.2 million (US dollars). It remains the most expensive diamond ever sold.

Jacaranda News/AFP

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