July 27 (UPI) — A rare pink diamond, weighing 170 carats, has been unearthed in Angola and is believed to be one of the largest ones discovered in last 300 years.
Australian-based Lucapa Diamond Co. announced Wednesday it had uncovered the “historic” pink diamond, called “The Lulo Rose,” at Lulo mine in the northeast part of the southern African nation. It is the 27th diamond larger than 100 carats to be found at the mine.
“The record-breaking Lulo diamond field has again delivered a precious and large gemstone, this time an extremely rare and beautiful pink diamond,” Jose Manuel Ganga Jr., chairman of the board of Endiama, said in a statement.
The Type IIa pink diamond is the fifth-largest diamond discovered at the Lulo mine, according to Lucapa. The largest was the 404-carat “4th February Stone.”
“Lulo is an exceptional alluvial resource and is truly a gift,” Lucapa Diamond Co. limited managing director Stephen Wetherall said. “We are once again made very proud by yet another historic recovery.”
Pink diamonds, especially large ones, are extremely rare since their formation requires more stress than other diamonds and makes them prone to fracture.
The large diamond will be sold through the Angolan State Diamond Marketing Co. on the international market.
“This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage for diamond mining,” Angola’s Mineral Resources’ Diamantino Azevedo said.
According to the Gemological Institute of America, natural pink diamonds are usually valued at more than $2 million per carat after they are cut.
The most expensive pink diamond ever sold was the 59.6-carat Pink Star. It was sold at a Hong Kong auction in 2017 for $71.2 million.
A 15.8-carat purple-pink flawless diamond, known as “The Sakura” fetched $29.3 million at a Hong Kong auction last year.
