Have you got a spare $70 million lying around? Renowned auction house Sotheby’s will auction the Lesedi la Rona, a 1,109 ct rough diamond – the largest rough diamond discovered in 100 years. Discovered at the Karowe mine in Botswana last November, the gem is three billion years old and measure approximately 66.4x55x42 mm, the size of a tennis ball.
“The Lesedi la Rona is simply outstanding and its discovery is the find of a lifetime,” said David Bennett, worldwide chairman of Sotheby’s Jewellery Division. “It is a huge honor for Sotheby’s to have been entrusted with its sale. Every aspect of this auction is unprecedented. Not only is the rough superlative in size and quality, but no rough even remotely of this scale has ever been offered before at public auction.”
The Lesedi la Rona, which translates as ‘Our Light’ in Botswana’s Tswana language will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in London on June 29, with an estimated selling price of more than $70 million.
Photo Credit: Donald Bowers/Getty Images for Sotheby’s
