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29.6-carat Blue Diamond Found in South Africa

Blue diamond

Check out this incredible find, reported to be potentially fetch $15m-$20m at auction.
The blue diamond found at the Cullinan mine this month. [Photograph: Philip Mostert/AFP/Getty Images]

A rare 29.6-carat blue diamond that could be worth millions of pounds has been discovered in South Africa.

Petra Diamonds said the “exceptional” acorn-sized diamond was unearthed at the Cullinan mine near Pretoria.

Previous notable finds at the mine include the Cullinan Diamond in 1905, described as the largest rough gem diamond ever recovered, at 3,106 carats; a 25.5-carat blue diamond in 2013, sold for $16.9m (£10.2m); and the Star of Josephine in 2008, sold for $9.49m.

Petra’s chief executive, Johan Dippenaar, said the latest discovery could outstrip recent finds. “By some margin … this is probably the most significant stone we’ve ever, in terms of blue stones, recovered,” he said.

Cailey Barker, an analyst at the brokers Numis, said the diamond could fetch $15m-$20m at auction.

Source: The Guardian