Wednesday- 16th June, 2021: A diamond mining firm in Botswana has unveiled a 1,098-carat stone, describing it as the third largest of its kind in the world.
The gem was found on 1 June but publicly presented at an event on Wednesday in the capital, Gaborone, that was attended by President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
"[It's] a rare and extraordinary stone," the AFP news agency quotes Debswana Managing Director Lynette Armstrong as saying.
It is the biggest stone of gem quality to be recovered in the history of Debswana, a joint venture between the government and global diamond giant De Beers.
The biggest diamond ever discovered in the world was the 3,106-carat Cullinan, found in South Africa in 1905.
The second largest was 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona - a diamond the size of a tennis ball, discovered at Karowe, northeastern Botswana, in 2015.
Botswana is Africa's leading diamond producer.
