Lesotho Promise

The Lesotho Promise, a 603 carat (121 g) diamond stone of exceptional colour was unearthed on 22 August 2006^[1] at the Letseng diamond mine in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Announced on the 4th of October 2006,^[2] it is the largest reported find this century and the 15th largest diamond ever found. The stone is rated 'D', the top colour band for diamonds.

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The diamond was sold at an auction on 9th October 2006 in Antwerp, Belgium, for US$12.4 million^[3]. The buyer, The South African Diamond Corporation (SAFDICO), expects to sell the diamond for more than 20 million dollars after the diamond is cut.

The Lesotho Brown at 601 carats (120 g) was the largest diamond previously found at the mine.

See also

• List of famous diamonds

References

1. ^ BBC News Online, "Lesotho Diamond put up for sale", BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5409092.stm (accessed 2006-10-10)
2. ^ Mail & Guardian Online, "Biggest diamond of the century found in Lesotho", Mail & Guardian, http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/&articleid=285786 (accessed 2006-10-10)
3. ^ BBC News Online, "Massive diamond bought for $12m", BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6034429.stm (accessed 2006-10-09)