British fine jeweller Graff has announced the acquisition of an exceptional rough diamond weighing 373.72 carats. The diamond was unearthed in Botswana’s Karowe mine and is classified as a D colour Type IIa with the potential to yield a beautiful polished stone of significant size.
The as-yet unnamed diamond was once part of Lesedi la Rona, the second largest gem quality diamond ever found, which famously failed to sell at auction last year with a reserve in excess of the $61 million final bid.
The smaller stone was separated from its sibling during the recovery process and was purchased by Laurence Graff for $17.5 million last week. The stone was the largest of 15 sold at the Lucara Diamond Corp’s Exceptional Stone Tender sale which totalled over 1,765 carats and achieved $54.8 million.
The stone will now be carefully cut and polished by Graff’s team of gemologists and master cutters before going on to become one of the rarest diamonds available to buy. As Laurence Graff explained, “Every diamond has an inner script, that we must read and respect. We will now spend time discovering the secrets of this magnificent stone. Knowing that nature has given us this extraordinary gift, we take on the great responsibility of releasing its inner beauty.”
Graff, of course, has much experience in handling some of the world’s finest and largest stones. Its back catalogue includes last year’s Venus – the largest D flawless heart-shape diamond in the world at 118.78 carats – and the Fancy Vivid Yellow Delaire Sunrise, which at 118.08 carats is the world’s largest square emerald cut yellow diamond.