Jwaneng Mine reveals its biggest secret

The first two mineworkers to set eyes on the 1,098-carat diamond unveiled this week, could not believe what they were seeing. The once in a lifetime find is still reverberating around global headlines, being the third-largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered. That it came after 39 years of operations at Jwaneng Mine makes the find even more momentous. “We were going through the larger material, sorting it, when I saw that stone,” recalls Orakeng Kefentse. “I was in shock because it was my first time seeing such and I ran to my colleague to have a look.”

The two sorters then called their supervisor and other superiors who took the stone to a secure vault. Word soon began spreading that the stone was indeed a diamond, a rock of such proportions it looks more like a tennis ball.