Lucara Diamond Corp. has announced the sale of the historic 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, Gem Konnect reports. The huge gem was sold for $53 million ($47,777 per carat) to Graff Diamonds.
Owner of Graff Diamonds Laurence Graff commented: “We are thrilled and honoured to become the new custodians of this incredible diamond. The stone will tell us its story, it will dictate how it wants to be cut, and we will take the utmost care to respect its exceptional properties. This is a momentous day in my career, and I am privileged to be given the opportunity to honour the magnificent natural beauty of the Lesedi La Rona”.
William Lamb, President and CEO of Lucara, commented: “The discovery of the Lesedi La Rona was a company defining event for Lucara. […] Graff Diamonds is now the owner of the Lesedi La Rona as well as the 373-carat diamond, purchased earlier this year, which formed part of the original stone. We are excited to follow these diamonds through the next stage of their journey”.
The Lesedi La Rona was discovered by Lucara at their Karowe mine in Botswana in November 2015l. Back in June 2016, the stone failed to find a buyer at a Sotheby’s auction. It missed its reserve price of $70 million as the highest bid came in at $61 million. It is the largest gem-quality rough diamond to have been discovered in over a century, and the largest gem-quality diamond in existence today.
