A rare 41.82-carat blue diamond has been discovered at the Cullinan Mine in South Africa, one of the world’s most famous sources of high-quality gemstones.
The mining company Petra Diamonds said the stone is of “exceptional” quality and has been classified as a Type IIb diamond, a category that represents fewer than 0.1% of all natural diamonds.
Diamonds in this group are known for their distinctive blue colour, caused by traces of boron.
The diamond was recovered from the Cullinan Mine, located east of Johannesburg, which has produced several of the world’s most valuable diamonds, including the Cullinan Diamond — the largest gem-quality diamond ever found.
Petra Diamonds said further analysis is under way to assess the stone’s clarity, colour intensity and potential value. No official valuation has yet been released.
Industry experts say large blue diamonds are among the rarest gemstones in the world and can command tens of millions of dollars once cut and polished, depending on their final quality.
The company added that it will decide how the diamond will be sold after the assessment process is complete.
