Massive uncut diamond fetches ‘record $63 million’

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= RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / LUCIEN COMEN/ LUCARA DIAMOND CORPORTATION" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS = This handout photo provided by the Lucara Diamond Corporation taken on November 18, 2015 in Gaborone shows a 1,111 carat gem quality, Type IIa diamond is seen displayed. The magnificent stone, which originated from the south lobe of Lucara’s Karowe Mine, is the world’s second largest gem quality diamond ever recovered and the largest ever to be recovered through a modern processing facility. The stone was recovered by the newly installed Large Diamond Recovery (LDR) X-ray transmission (XRT) machines. The stone measures 65mm x 56mm x 40mm in size and is the largest ever to be recovered in Botswana. AFP PHOTO/ HO / LUCIEN COMEN / LUCARA DIAMOND CORPORATION / AFP PHOTO / Lucara Diamond Corporation / Lucien Comen/Lucara Diamond Corp
This handout photo provided by the Lucara Diamond Corporation taken on November 18, 2015 in Gaborone shows a 1,111 carat gem quality, Type IIa diamond is seen displayed. The magnificent stone, which originated from the south lobe of Lucara’s Karowe Mine, is the world’s second largest gem quality diamond ever recovered and the largest ever to be recovered through a modern processing facility. The stone was recovered by the newly installed Large Diamond Recovery (LDR) X-ray transmission (XRT) machines. The stone measures 65mm x 56mm x 40mm in size and is the largest ever to be recovered in Botswana. AFP PHOTO/  

STOCKHOLM , Sweden (AFP) — Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond on Monday announced the sale of a huge 813 carat diamond for a record $63 million (55 million euros), ahead of the sale of an even bigger one.

The sale of the massive “Constellation” diamond was “the highest price ever achieved for a rough diamond, breaking all records,” CEO William Lamb said in a statement.

The name of the buyer for the diamond, discovered in Botswana, was not divulged, nor the conditions of the sale overseen by Nemesis International.

The record is unlikely to last very long. Lucara is preparing to auction an even larger 1,109 carat diamond at Sotheby’s in London on June 29.

Lucara shares had soared by 8.58 percent by mid-afternoon on the Stockholm market. The key shareholder in the Canadian company is the Swedish Lundin family.

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