As far as diamonds go, this one really is a cut above the rest.
An ‘astounding’ half–pink jewel has been unearthed in the Karowe Mine in Botswana – and it weighs a whopping 37.41 carats (7.5g).
The diamond is one inch long and has a ‘sharp’ boundary between the dusky pink and colourless sections.
Jewels this colour are incredibly rare because temperature and pressure conditions have to be just right for them to form.
While experts are yet to value the precious gem, they believe it could be one of the most important pink diamonds in history.
Oded Mansori, co-founder of diamond-cutting firm HB Antwerp, said: ‘This stone has the potential to become one of the most important pink diamonds ever polished.
‘Its intensely rich coloration is a testament to the geological uniqueness of the Karowe Mine.
‘And our deep understanding of the manufacturing process will allow us to capture its vibrant color to the fullest extent possible.’
An ‘astounding’ half–pink jewel, weighing 37.41 carats (7.5g), has been unearthed in Botswana
The diamond is an inch long and has a ‘sharp’ boundary between the dusky pink and colourless sections
The diamond will have started life more than three billion years ago, deep within the Earth under intense heat and pressure, around 93–124 miles (150–200km) below the surface.
Carbon atoms are bound together in a tight lattice before being brought to the surface through volcanic eruptions.
Diamonds can acquire colour through impurities that get locked inside the lattice as it forms.
But pink versions are the product of structural deformity, meaning their structure has been altered through geological processes.
However, too much deformation turns the jewels brown – meaning just the right balance has to be reached.
It’s likely the pink section formed first, according to experts, and the colourless half then developed at a later time.
The new diamond is not the first pink–and–colourless natural diamond ever discovered.
However, experts from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) said similar diamonds they have examined were much smaller, weighing no more than two carats (0.4g).
While experts are yet to value the diamond, they believe it could be one of the ‘most important pink diamonds’ in history
Jewels this colour are incredibly rare because temperature and pressure conditions have to be just right for them to form
Botswana’s Karowe mine, where the diamond was found, has previously yielded several other spectacular jewels.
This includes the 1,758-carat Sewelô, the 549-carat Sethunya, and more recent recoveries such as the 2,488-carat Motswedi.
Motswedi, uncovered by Canadian mining firm Lucara, is the largest diamond seen in the last 120 years since the discovery of the world–famous Cullinan Diamond.
The 3,106–carat stone was found in neighbouring South Africa in 1905 and was cut into nine separate stones, many of which now form part of the British crown jewels.
As it stands, the value of the half-pink diamond remains unclear, although pricing will eventually take into consideration a range of factors, including its weight, cut, colour and clarity.
It is now being housed at HB Antwerp, whre it will undergo the company’s ‘proprietary in-house transformation process’.
[This] combines cutting-edge technology, traceability, and artisanal craftsmanship,’ HB Antwerp explained.
‘This process ensures that every facet of the diamond’s journey—from mine to masterpiece—is transparent, secure, and verifiable.’
In 2023 a rare pink diamond considered to be the ‘most valuable and vivid’ of its kind (pictured) sold for $34.8 million (£26 million) at Sotheby’s in New York
Last year marked the discovery of the second biggest diamond ever found – a rough 2,492–carat stone also uncovered in Botswana
The discovery comes two years after a rare pink diamond considered to be the ‘most valuable and vivid’ of its kind sold for $34.8 million (£26 million) at Sotheby’s in New York.
The value of The Eternal Pink diamond came, in part, from it being ‘internally flawless’, experts said.
The colour of the diamond is said to be at a level only achieved by about four per cent of all pink diamonds.
HOW DO SCIENTISTS ‘GROW’ DIAMONDS IN A LABORATORY?
Diamonds fetch their lofty price tags because they form over millions of years under high pressures and temperatures deep within the Earth’s crust.
But a number of companies are now growing the gems in laboratories across the world, threatening to shake up the diamond industry.
A small ‘seed’ diamond acts as a scaffolding for the process.
Scientists first place this seed into a vacuum chamber to remove impurities from the air.
Lab-made gems are threatening to upset the diamond industry, with several companies worldwide now growing the stones for jewellery. In this image Pure Grown Diamonds CEO Lisa Bissell unveils a lab-cultivated diamond in New York in 2015
They then funnel hydrogen and methane gas heat to 3,000°C (5,400°F) into the chamber to create a highly charged gas known as plasma.
The gases rapidly break apart, releasing carbon atoms from the methane that collected on the diamond ‘seed’.
These atoms naturally copy the crystal structure of organic diamond, which is also made up of carbon atoms.
Each artificial stone grows at a rate of around 0.0002 inches (0.006mm) an hour.
