A 170-carat pink Type IIa diamond has been unearthed from an Angolan mine—and is what some are calling the largest pink diamond recovered in the last 300 years.
The rough diamond has been named the Lulo Rose. The diamond will be sold by international tender by Sodiam, Angola’s state-owned diamond marketing company.
The diamond was found at the Lulo alluvial mine, which is owned by the Lucapa Diamond Co., the Australian miner that announced the find, in association with Angola-owned miner Endiama.
The find is good news for the Angolan diamond industry, which has been trying to rehabilitate its image after years of being tagged with charges of corruption.
Angola’s minister of mineral resources, petroleum, and gas, Diamantino Azevedo, said in a statement, “This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage for diamond mining and demonstrates the potential and rewards for commitment and investment in our growing diamond mining industry.”
The Lulo concession boasts the two largest recorded diamonds recovered in Angola, the largest being the 404-carat 4th February Stone, a white diamond that was found on Feb. 4, 2016.
Top: The Lulo Rose (photo courtesy of Lucapa Diamond Co.)
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