Whopping 2,500-carat diamond, biggest in over century, found in Botswana

The largest diamond found in more than a century has been unearthed at a mine in Botswana, and the country’s president showed off the fist-sized stone to the world at a viewing ceremony Thursday 22 August.

“They [diamonds] mean everything to us in good times and bad times,” President Mokgweetsi Masisi said.

He gasped and said “wow” as the gem was placed in his hands, before calling senior government officials over to take a closer look.

The as-yet-unnamed diamond weighs approximately half a kilogram and President Masisi was one of the first to hold it.

Botswana’s government says the huge 2,492-carat diamond is the second-biggest ever discovered in a min and the biggest found since 1905.