Making a Big Bang: The Largest Rough-Diamond Finds of 2024 

Image gallery containing the largest rough diamonds found in 2024

Finding rough diamonds is not an easy task, and locating those over 100 carats is exponentially more difficult. Having formed in the earth billions of years ago, most of these stones naturally come in smaller sizes. However, using special X-ray equipment and with a little help from high-value deposits, miners have managed to retrieve quite the handful of large specimens. 

Ranging from 203 carats to a massive 2,488 carats, these stones broke scales across the mining industry. 

Here are the top 10 largest rough diamonds of the year: 

2,488-carat rough diamond from Lucara, found in August image
In August, Lucara Diamond Corp. secured this humongous 2,488-carat rough, which it originally reported as 2,492 carats, from its Karowe mine in Botswana. The stone, which the miner dubbed “exceptional,” came from the EM/PK(S) portion of the site’s south lobe, known for yielding large, high-value diamonds. The company recently revealed it has named the diamond Motswedi, which means a water spring, or the flow of underground water that emerges to the surface offering life and vitality, in the local language, Setswana. 
1,094-carat rough diamond from Lucara image
Lucara played show-off, following up on its 2,488-carat find with a 1,094-carat rough in September. The stone, which is the miner’s sixth over 1,000 carats, was sold to its offtake partner, HB Antwerp. The company named the diamond Seriti, which translates to aura or presence in Setswana and has deep cultural significance related to identity and legacy. 
Man holding a 391.45-carat rough diamond found in Sierra Leone’s Meya mine image
The Meya mine in Sierra Leone’s Kono district has turned out this high-quality, 391.45-carat rough. Found in August, the stone is the second over 100 carats the deposit has produced. It was originally part of a 514.99-carat diamond that broke into three pieces during its extraction from the ore, the country’s National Minerals Agency said. 
320-carat gem-quality, light-brown diamond from Lucara image
Lucara produced its third-largest diamond of the year in February, when it recovered a haul of large stones all above 50 carats, the largest of which was a “stunning” 320-carat gem-quality, light-brown diamond. 
295-carat rough diamond from Gem Diamonds unearthed at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho image
Gem Diamonds unearthed this 295-carat rough from its Letšeng mine in Lesotho. The stone, which it found in January, was the first of 13 over 100 carats for the company this year. 
262.5-carat, high-quality diamond from the Ebelyakh deposit of Alrosa’s Mayat mine image
This 262.5-carat, high-quality diamond came from the Ebelyakh deposit of Alrosa’s Mayat mine in Yakutia. The stone, pulled up in September, is the second-largest of its caliber retrieved in Russia in the past 10 years. 
Firestone Diamonds 215-carat stone from its Liqhobong mine in Lesotho in March from image
A newcomer to the list is Firestone Diamonds, which discovered this 215-carat stone at its Liqhobong mine in Lesotho in March. The company offered the diamond through a competitive bidding tender. 
212.91-carat diamond from Gem Diamonds’ Letšeng mine image
This 212.91-carat September win was the 13th and final diamond over 100 carats for the year from Gem Diamonds’ Letšeng mine. The high-quality, type II diamond was retrieved less than two weeks after a 126.21-carat one and was the fifth of that magnitude for the miner in just over a month.  
212.49-carat stone found in May from Gem Diamonds image
Another gem of roughly the same size also came from Gem Diamonds. This 212.49-carat stone found in May was the sixth over 100 carats for the miner in 2024. 
203-carat diamond discovered at Lucapa Diamond Company’s Lulo alluvial mine in Angola image
The fifth-largest diamond to be discovered at Lucapa Diamond Company’s Lulo alluvial mine in Angola is this 203-carat, type IIa rough, recovered during the processing of run-of-mine stockpiled ore in March. 

Main image: Some of the largest rough diamonds found this year. (Lucara/Gem Diamonds)

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