Recovered in August 2024 by Lucara Diamond Corporation at the Karowe mine in Botswana, the diamond weighed 2,492 carats at the time of recovery and is surpassed in size only by the historic 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, found in South Africa in 1905. The stone was later named Motswedi — meaning “water spring” or “source” in Setswana — following a public competition in Botswana.
GIA’s scientific team confirmed that Motswedi is a single, gem-quality, type IIa diamond crystal with no detectable nitrogen, making it the largest known single crystal diamond in existence. Examinations also revealed the stone is divided into several large gem-quality blocks with minimal inclusions, indicating exceptional potential for polished gems.
The current weight of 2,488.32 carats accounts for the loss of about 1.50 carats in small fragments that separated during cleaning and handling by the mining company.
Since its opening in 2012, the Karowe mine has gained a global reputation for producing some of the world’s largest and most valuable diamonds, further cemented by the discovery of Motswedi.
Detailed findings from GIA’s examination have been published in an article by Tom Moses and Dr. Wuyi Wang on the Institute’s official website.
Founded in 1931, GIA is widely regarded as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. The nonprofit organization is credited with creating the 4Cs grading system and the International Diamond Grading System™, standards that remain the benchmark for evaluating diamond quality worldwide.
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