A tennis ball-sized rough diamond unearthed nearly two years ago by Canada's Lucara Diamond Corp has been sold for $53 million, the Vancouver-based company said on Monday.
The 1,109-carat stone, which is the world's largest uncut diamond, was bought by high-profile British diamond dealer Graff Diamonds for $47,777 per carat, and will now be cut and polished, Lucara said in a statement.
The price paid was an “improvement” on the highest bid received for the diamond at a Sotheby's auction in June 2016, Lucara Chief Executive and President William Lamb said.
The rough diamond is second in size only to the 3,106.75 carat Cullinan, which was cut into 105 diamonds, including several British Crown Jewels.
The Lesedi will “dictate how it wants to be cut, and we will take the utmost care to respect its exceptional properties,” Laurence Graff, founder of Graff Diamonds said.