Alrosa has recovered a 2.74-carat, gem-quality blue diamond from its Nakyn kimberlite field in Yakutia, the first of its color found in the country.
The type IIb diamond has “exceptional purity,” and is “completely free of internal inclusions,” the Russian miner said last week.
The company has tasked 11 “highly qualified” specialists to work on cutting and polishing the diamond, Alrosa revealed. It plans to debut the stone later this month.
“This is the first time in Russian history that such a unique blue crystal has been obtained,” said Alrosa CEO Pavel Marinychev. “This is a significant milestone for Alrosa and the entire diamond industry. A similar find may never be repeated. This makes our responsibility even greater – to preserve the beauty created by nature and transform this exceptional diamond into a brilliant worthy of its place among the world’s rarest gemstones. And it is especially important that this work is being carried out by our Russian artisans.”
Although this is the first time Russia has produced a blue diamond, the Golconda mine in India, Petra Diamonds’ Cullinan deposit in South Africa, and Lucara Diamond Corp.’s Karowe mine in Botswana have yielded several. Australia’s defunct Argyle mine, known for its pinks, also turned up smaller blue and violet diamonds.
Image: The Nakyn kimberlite fields. (Alrosa)
