Antwerp welcomes the third largest diamond in the world
The diamond company HB Antwerp, which is also a training and knowledge centre for experts and jewellers, will be allowed to analyse and cut a high-quality rough stone of 1,175 carats (235 g) which is at least 1.5 billion years old and comes from a mine in Botswana. Its brilliance and transparency are exceptional.
It is already obvious that this diamond could be worth tens of millions of euros. But a thorough analysis is required to obtain full certainty as to its exact value, composition, thickness, purity, transparency and quality. This will take place in the next four to six months. The same applies to the other four stones, as the diamond that arrived in Antwerp is part of a larger set that weighs a total of 2,500 carats (0.5 kg!). Before being cut, it was extracted at the Karowe mine in Botswana using a scanner, a technique used to prevent stones from crumbling during the extraction process. It was then transferred to Antwerp, the only city in the world with the knowledge and skills to cut such precious stones into small pieces and turn them into jewellery.
The government and people of Botswana are involved in the whole process. For example, the people of the Karowe mine are allowed to name the gemstone in a contest. Magnificent!