Auction House: Largest Rough Diamond In Existence Could Go For $70 Million
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A 1109-carat diamond is expected to fetch $70 million when it goes up for auction next month in London, according to the Sotheby's auction house.
The Lesedi la Rona diamond, found by Lucara Diamond Corp. at a Botswana mine in November, is about the size of a tennis ball.
"Diamonds have been mined continuously for centuries in multiple locations around the world and yet nothing of the size and quality of Lesedi La Rona has been found in over 100 years," according to a Sotheby's news release. "In terms of its size, the rough is exceeded only by the legendary Cullinan Diamond, mined in South Africa in 1905."
The 3016.75-carat Cullinan Diamond produced nine major diamonds that are part of the historic Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
The Lesedi la Rona will be on view at Sotheby's New York on May 7 before being transported to London for the June 29 auction.
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