The November 16 find is the largest diamond recovered in a century. Photo courtesy Lucara.

BY KAREN AANONSEN

Remarkable roughs make for jaw-dropping jewels. So the 1,111-carat Type IIa diamond that’s been discovered by diamond producer Lucara has no doubt piqued the interest of the jewelry world’s finest designers. The astonishing stone is the world’s second largest gem-quality diamond ever recovered. And it’s the largest ever to be recovered through a modern processing facility. Found using Large Diamond Recovery XRT machines at the Karowe Mine in Botswana, the piece measures 65 mm by 56 mm by 40 mm. It is only second in size to the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, which was unearthed in South Africa in 1905 and later cut into nine separate stones.

—November 2015