Miners in Angola have unearthed a pink diamond, which is believed to be the biggest gem of its kind found in the past 300 years. This 170-carat pink diamond was discovered at the Lulo alluvial mine in the southern African nation. The weight of the diamond is just 34 grams.
The Lucapa Diamond Company has named it “the Lulo Rose,” after the Lulo mine from where it was found.
Why it is so special?
Lulo Rose is a historic find, as it is one of the rarest and purest forms of natural stones. It is a type 2a diamond, which implies the diamond has very few or no impurities. Pink diamonds are extremely rare because just one in 10,000 diamonds found is generally colored. Moreover, just one in a hundred diamonds found at the site is greater than 10.8 carats.
However, the largest known pink diamond the Daria-i-Noor weighing an estimated 182 carats was discovered in India. Experts believe Daria-i-Noor was cut from an even larger stone.
“This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage for diamond mining and demonstrates the potential and rewards for commitment and investment in our growing diamond mining industry,” said Diamantino Azevedo, Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum, and Gas.
But before this gem is ready for sale, it will be cut and polished. The procedure may also result in the stone losing 50 percent of its weight.
