LONDON – Turns out the largest diamond discovered in over a century may not be worth all that much.
The tennis ball-sized Lesedi la Rona failed to find a buyer Tuesday, a disappointing result for a stone which had been described as “the find of a lifetime” by David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby’s jewelry division.
The diamond was unearthed in November in Botswana at a mine owned by Canada’s Lucara Diamond Corporation. It measured 1,109 carats, the second-largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered. Its name means “our light” in the Tswana language.
A spokeswoman said bidding reached $61 million – below the more than $70 million Sotheby’s had hoped for.
No rough diamond of this size had ever been auctioned, and after Wednesday’s sale it’s unclear if one will for a while.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.