The China Mail - Museum or sheikh? World's second largest diamond awaits home

Unearthed last year in Botswana, the 2,488-carat stone known as Motswedi is currently being analysed by gem dealer HB Antwerp in the namesake port city and global diamond hub.

"At the moment it's very hard to put a price on it," Margaux Donckier, HB Antwerp's public affairs director told AFP.

"We first have to inspect the stone and see what we can yield from it in polished form."

Weighing about half a kilogramme, the Motswedi was discovered last summer at the Karowe mine in northeastern Botswana -- Africa's top diamond producer.

The mine is owned by Canadian company Lucara Diamond, which has partnered with HB Antwerp to handle the processing and marketing of stones exceeding 10.8 carats.

The firm is showcasing the Motswedi as part of a collection of four gems -- including the world's third largest diamond -- which were recently discovered at the same mine.

While difficult to price individually at this stage, collectively the four should fetch at least $100 million, Donckier said.

Even without a proper price tag, the Motswedi has already received "plenty of interest from all over the world," she said.

"The size of these stones is so exceptionally rare that they also perfectly could end up in a museum," Donckier said, adding some had already got in touch.

"But it could also maybe end up in the hands of a sheikh that would like to add it to his collection," she said of the largest diamond.

Before the Motswedi was found, the largest diamond discovered in Botswana was a 1,758-carat stone mined by Lucara at the Karowe mine in 2019 and named Sewelo.

The largest gem-quality diamond ever found, by far, is believed to be the Cullinan, discovered in 1905 in South Africa and weighing 3,106 carats.

Among the stones cut from it was the Star of Africa, which is part of the British crown jewels on display in the Tower of London.

S.Wilson--ThChM