The miner said the
"exceptional" acorn-sized diamond, small enough to fit into the palm
of a hand, was unearthed at the Cullinan mine near Pretoria.
The mine, owned by the
firm since 2008, was also where the Cullinan Diamond was found in 1905 -
described as the largest rough gem diamond ever recovered and weighing 3,106
carats.
Other notable diamonds
found in the mine include a 25.5 carat Cullinan blue diamond, found in 2013 and
sold for $16.9 million, and a diamond found in 2008, known as the Star of
Josephine, which was sold for $9.49 million.
Chief Executive Johan
Dippenaar told Reuters the latest blue diamond 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.
"The stones in the
last year or so are selling well above $2 million per carat. That's not my
quote, that's updates in the market," he said ahead of the company's
first-half trading statement.
Petra Diamonds is due to
release figures on production and sales for the six months to December 31 on
Thursday, but these will not take into account the find which occurred in
January.
Analyst Cailey Barker at
brokers Numis thought the diamond could fetch between $15 million and $20
million at auction.
Diamonds from both the
Cullinan mine in South Africa and the Williamson facilities in Tanzania, both
owned by Petra, have been displayed at London's Buckingham Palace and are
regarded as among the rarest and most valuable in the world.
The 1905 Cullinan Diamond
has been cut into two stones - the First Star of Africa and the Second Star of
Africa - and form part of Britain's Crown Jewels held in the Tower of London.
Dippenaar said the company
would decide what to do with the diamond in the next week.
Source: news.yahoo.com
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