Miners in Angola have unearthed a 170-carat pink diamond. The Australian company Lucapa Diamond Company, which operates the mine in northeastern Angola, announced on Wednesday that it is probably the largest pink rough diamond discovered worldwide in the past 300 years. It dubbed the diamond “The Lulo Rose” after the mine’s name.
The Angolan government, as a partner of the Lulo mine, also celebrated the gem find. According to them, it is a type IIa diamond – the category includes particularly rare and pure stones.
“Lulo Rose” is now to be sold at an international auction. Although the rough diamond still needs to be cut and polished to reach its full value – a process that can cause a stone to lose half its weight – it is likely to change hands for an astronomical price.
