Photo: Petra Diamonds
Photo: Petra Diamonds
A ‘white diamond of exceptional quality’ has been unearthed at the Cullinan Mine in Gauteng today – and the precious stone looks set to turn heads worldwide. The incredibly valuable gem is ready to go to auction next month, and based on recent bids, it could sell for more than $40 000 per carat.
In total, the Type IIa white diamond contains 342.92 carats. It has been praised for both its colour and its clarity, and if it goes at a similar rate to the most recent major find of its kind, loaded punters could end up forking out $14 million – worth roughly R200 million based on the current US Dollar to SA Rand exchange rate.
Another breathtaking Type IIa white gem – recovered at Cullinan Mine back in January 2021 – fetched $12.18 million at auction March 2021, equating to almost R180 million. There’s now genuine hope that the Petra-discovered diamond can bring in yet another major windfall for the company, who confirmed these developments earlier on Wednesday.
“Petra Diamonds Limited is pleased to announce that it has recovered a 342.92 carat Type IIa white diamond of exceptional quality in terms of both its colour and clarity at the Cullinan Mine in South Africa. The diamond is likely to be sold via the Company’s upcoming tender during September 2021.”
So, why are treasures found at the Cullinan Mine such a big deal? Well, this Gauteng facility is one of the most famous sites in the world for discovering such priceless stones. There’s certainly a whole lot of history there…