The Lesotho Promise Diamond

This is  the biggest diamond to be found in 13 years. It was named the "Lesotho Promise," and  was sold at an auction for more than $12 million. The Lesotho Promise was then sold in excess of $20 million once it is cut up. The 603-carat (120 gram) diamond, named after the tiny African mountain kingdom where it was found, went under the hammer at the Antwerp Diamond Centre and was sold to the South African Diamond Corporation, owner of luxury jewellers Graff. The 10th largest white diamond ever to be found, it was cut into a large heart-shaped diamond and several smaller stones. The uncut diamond is a third bigger than a golf ball.

The biggest rough diamond ever found was the Cullinan at 3,106 carats, while the second largest, the Excelsior, was 995 carats. Both were found in South Africa. The Lesotho diamond was found at the Letseng Diamond Mine high in the mountains of the tiny nation which is surrounded by South Africa, by a woman who was sorting through the rocks.

This is the outcome of the 603 carat Lesotho Promise diamond stone found in the Letsenf diamond mine in the African country of Lesotho. The diamond stone was cut into twenty six smaller diamonds ranging from .52 carats to the impressive 76.41 carat pear shaped at the tip of the necklace. The necklace contains every single diamond made from the Lesotho Promise diamond stone totaling 223.35 carats and the diamonds are set in white gold.