Karowe AK6
The Karowe AK6 in 2015
| |
| Weight | 1,111 carats (222.2 g) |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 65 by 56 by 40 mm (2.6 by 2.2 by 1.6 in) |
| Color | Colorless/white, type IIa |
| Cut | Raw |
| Country of origin |  Botswana |
| Mine of origin | Karowe mine |
| Date discovered | 16 November 2015 |
| Current owner | Lucara Diamond |
Karowe AK6 is the second-largest gem-quality diamond ever found, after the Cullinan Diamond. It was found in the Karowe mine in Botswana on 16 November 2015. It weighs 1,111 carats (222.2 g) and is "nearly the size of a tennis ball".[1]
Description[edit]
The Karowe AK6 is a colorless/white,[1] type IIa diamond.[2] It weighs 1,111 carats and measures 65 by 56 by 40 mm (2.6 by 2.2 by 1.6 in). In size, it is second only to the Cullinan Diamond, discovered in 1905 in South Africa, which was weighed at 3,106 carats.[3][4]The Karowe AK6 was mined using Large Diamond Recovery ("LDR") XRT machines,[2] and is the largest diamond recovered using machines.[1]
It was found on 16 November 2015,[5] and the find was announced on the 18 November.[2] A day later, two more diamonds weighing 813 and 374 carats were also found in the mine.[6][7] Since the AK6 pipe was opened 18 months earlier, it has yielded over 1 million carats of diamonds.[8]
The stone is too big for the company's own scanners, so it will probably be sent to Antwerp, Belgium for assessment.[5]
Find location[edit]
It was found in the south lobe of Canadian company Lucara Diamond's Karowe mine about 500 km (310 mi) north of Gaborone in Botswana.[7][2] The mine is located in the Letlhakane region, where it shares the three diamond-producing kimberlites of Orapa,Letlhakane and Damtshaa, with the Debswana Diamond Company Ltd.[8] The first diamond from the mine was retreived in 2012. Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia are the world's three top producers of mined diamonds.[1]
Value[edit]
The exact value of the stone cannot be determined until it is decided how it will be cut and more details about its color are known. Former diamond-mining geologist Phil Swinfen estimates, based on other similar sales, that the stone could be sold for $40–60 million.[1]
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