JAKARTA - Miners in Angola have discovered a rare pure pink diamond, which could be the largest found in 300 years, the mine operator said Wednesday.
The 170-carat pink diamond, dubbed The Lulo Rose, was found at the Lulo mine in the diamond-rich northeast of Angola and is one of the largest pink diamonds ever found, the Lucapa Diamond Company said.
The 'historic' discovery of the Type IIa diamond, one of the rarest and purest forms of natural stone, was welcomed by the Angolan Government, which is also a partner in the mine.
"This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to demonstrate Angola as an important player on the world stage," Angola's Minister of Mineral Resources Diamantino Azevedo told The National News and AFP July 27.
The Lulo concession, a 3,000 square kilometer area about 600 km from the Angolan capital Luanda, is the site of Angola's largest diamond discovery: the 'February 4 Rock' weighing 404 carats in 2016.
The Gemological Institute of America said at the time "the extreme rarity of diamonds of this quality cannot be overstated".
Similar pink diamonds have been sold for record-breaking prices, including the most expensive diamond ever sold, the 59.6 carat Pink Star. It was sold at a Hong Kong auction in 2017 for $71.2 million.
The Lulo Rose must be cut and polished to realize its true value, in a process that can make the stone lose 50 percent of its weight. The diamonds will be sold at an international tender by the Angolan State diamond marketing company.
Dr José Manuel Ganga Júnior, chairman of the board of Endiama, one of the partners at the Lulo mine, said the find marked an 'significant day' for the Angolan diamond industry.
"The record-breaking Lulo diamond field has again produced a large, precious gemstone, this time a very rare and beautiful pink diamond," he said.
"This is an important day for the Angolan diamond industry and the long-term partnership between Endiama, Lucapa and Rosas and Petalas."
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