Wowzer! Now that is a big diamond.
On Wednesday, January 15, it was announced the Louis Vuitton bought the world’s second-largest diamond, known as the Sewelô diamond.
The rough rock was recovered by Lucara Diamond Corp in Botswana last April. At 1,758 carats, the dark-hued piece is about the size of one’s palm.
Though there’s no information provided on how much the design house paid in the deal, the press release did disclose that Lucara would receive an up-front payment while also maintaining a 50 percent stake in what’s produced from the uncut stone. It was also noted that 5 percent of the future sales will be invested back into the company’s community initiatives in Botswana.
It’s still unclear exactly what the company plans to do with the rock, but according to the press release this information will not be revealed until it is polished. To do this LV teamed up with Lucara and a Belgian diamond manufacturer to work together to clean it up and manufacture multiple small jewels.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Louis Vuitton, the famous luxury house, to transform the historic, 1,758-carat Sewelô, Botswana’s largest diamond, into a collection of fine jewelry that will commemorate this extraordinary discovery and contribute direct benefits to our local communities of interest in Botswana,” Lucara CEO Eira Thomas said in a statement.
The price that this jewelry will go for is still unknown, as it’s based on color, cut and clarity as well as size. But CNN reports that it could be worth somewhere in the tens of millions.
Before this 2019 discovery, the largest diamond unearthed was back in 1905. It was a 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa. Eventually, it was made into smaller pieces, some of which now are part of the British royal family’s crown jewels.
