A 1,100ct diamond the size of a tennis ball has been discovered

Is your Christmas list lacking a certain amount of sparkle? Then have no fear because we found the perfect remedy!

A 1,111 carat gem-quality diamond has been unearthed in Botswana by the Lucara Diamond Corporation. This is second in size only to the Cullinan diamond. That would be the diamond cut into the British Crown jewels, just FYI.  

In a statement the company said that machines recovered the massive gem in the Karowe mine. So it might not be ready to be wrapped up with a bow and your name on it just yet, but we can still dream.

“The significance of the recovery of a gem-quality stone larger than 1,000 carats, the largest for more than a century and the continued recovery of high-quality stones from the south lobe, cannot be overstated,” William Lamb, CEO of Lucara, said in the statement.  

The diamond which measures 65 millimetres by 56 millimetres by 40 millimetres, which is roughly the size of tennis ball is believed the be the second largest ever found.

It was so big that Lucara could not a proper analysis to estimate the price of such a beast because it does not fit in the scanning machine.

Gem Diamonds Ltd. previously held the diamond discovery of the century title with the 603-carat Lesotho Promise. However, this new rock pretty much blew it out of the water. 

“It is almost impossible to estimate a value for such an extraordinary stone given that a valuation is highly dependent on the colour, clarity and cutting and polishing characteristics,” Edward Sterck, a London-based analyst at BMO Capital Markets noted.

Lucara did sell a 341.9 carat Type-IIa diamond in July for almost €20 million, or €56,000 a carat, Mr Sterck added. 

Luxury, so much luxury.