A 29.6 carat blue diamond, one of the rarest and most
coveted in the world with a possible price tag of tens of millions of
dollars, has been discovered at a South African mine by Petra Diamonds.
The miner said the "exceptional" acorn-sized diamond, small enough
to fit into the palm of a hand, was unearthed at the Cullinan mine near
Pretoria.
The mine, owned by the firm since 2008, was also where the Cullinan
Diamond was found in 1905 - described as the largest rough gem diamond
ever recovered and weighing 3,106 carats.
Other notable diamonds found in the mine include a 25.5 carat
Cullinan blue diamond, found in 2013 and sold for $16.9 million, and a
diamond found in 2008, known as the Star of Josephine, which was sold
for $9.49 million.
Chief Executive Johan Dippenaar told Reuters the latest blue diamond discovery could outstrip recent finds.
"By some margin ... this is probably the most significant stone we've ever, in terms of blue stones, recovered," he said.
"The stones in the last year or so are selling well above $2 million
per carat. That's not my quote, that's updates in the market," he said
ahead of the company's first-half trading statement.
Petra Diamonds is due to release figures on production and sales for
the six months to December 31 on Thursday, but these will not take into
account the find which occurred in January.
Analyst Cailey Barker at brokers Numis thought the diamond could fetch between $15 million and $20 million at auction.
Diamonds from both the Cullinan mine in South Africa and the
Williamson facilities in Tanzania, both owned by Petra, have been
displayed at London's Buckingham Palace and are regarded as among the
rarest and most valuable in the world.
The 1905 Cullinan Diamond has been cut into two stones - the First
Star of Africa and the Second Star of Africa - and form part of
Britain's Crown Jewels held in the Tower of London.
Dippenaar said the company would decide what to do with the diamond in the next week.