Tech will Help Unearth More +2,000-ct Diamonds

(IDEX Online) - Advances in technology are likely to lead to more huge diamond discoveries, says the Natural Diamond Council.

Only four rough diamonds over 2,000 carats have ever been discovered, and two of those were in the last two years, it says, in a report entitled Record-Breaking Diamonds.

But it says ongoing advances in mining and recovery techniques, such as X-ray transmission (XRT) will allow miners to extract more super-size gems.

XRT is an advanced technology that allows miners to 'see' diamonds hidden inside ordinary rock and save them from the crusher.

It was used to detect the 2,488-carat Motswedi, recovered at Lucara's Karowe mine, in Botswana, in August 2024.

The Motswedi is second only in size to the iconic 3,106.75-carat Cullinan Diamond, unearthed in 1905 near Pretoria, South Africa.

"We might have entered an era of supersized sparklers," said Raluca Anghel, head of external affairs, as the NDC published its report. https://www.naturaldiamonds.com/diamond-reports-record-breaking-diamonds/

"With each advance in mining and recovery, we edge closer to a thrilling possibility: that somewhere beneath the surface, an even more magnificent giant diamond awaits discovery."

Of the remaining +2,000-cts diamonds, one was near-gem rather than actual gem quality, and one was a black carbonado diamond (also considered non-gem quality).

Pic shows the 2,488-carat Motswedi diamond.