TheBrief DEBSWANA FLAGS WHAT COULD BE ITS BIGGEST DIAMOND DISCOVERY

DEBSWANA, the world’s biggest diamond producer by volume, said it had discovered a 1 989 carat high gem quality diamond at its Jwaneng mine. The 50/50 joint venture between the Botswana government and De Beers yesterday said that its preliminary analysis suggested that the gemstone could be the world’s thirdlargest gem-quality diamond ever after the Cullinan Diamond that was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and the Lesedi la Rona that was found in Botswana in 2015. Debswana said it would embark on a valuation through Diamond Trading Botswana in a few weeks. “It is the largest diamond discovered in Debswana’s history and one of the largest known discoveries of a gem-quality diamond anywhere in the world,” said Debswana. Jwaneng began production in 1982 and, along with Debswana’s Orapa Mine, has been an engine for the inward investment of diamond revenues in infrastructure, education and healthcare that has driven Botswana’s significant economic growth over the past half century. “The diamond discoveries at Jwaneng and Orapa Mines have earned Botswana a reputation as a global success story in transforming finite resources below ground into infinite opportunities above ground. This discovery forms an exciting new chapter in Debswana’s story and its future potential,” Debswana said. The stone was discovered at Jwaneng, the world’s richest mine by value, which is undergoing a $2 billion (R27.6bn) expansion. Debswana said the discovery was made at Jwaneng Mine on June 1 and was made possible through the combination of cutting-edge technology to uncover and process the diamond and the experience of the Debswana team who spotted the diamond and protected it throughout the recovery process. Prior to this discovery, the largest gem-quality diamond found at Jwaneng Mine was 446 carats in 1993. In January Petra Diamonds unearthed a 299 carat Type II white gem quality diamond sold for $12.18 million in March. Gem Diamonds said it had discovered a 370 carat Type II white diamond at its Letseng mine in Lesotho last month.

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