Largest Diamond In Over 100 Years Discovered In Botswana

The largest diamond found in over 100 years has been discovered at a mine in Botswana, a Canadian mining company announced this week.

Weighing 1,111 carats, the stone is the second-largest "gem quality" diamond ever recovered, the Lucara company said in a statement.

The diamond was discovered in Lucara's Karowe Mine and measures approximately 2.6 inches by 2.2 inches by 1.6 inches, or "about the size of a tennis ball," according to the CBC.

"The significance of the recovery of a gem quality stone larger than 1,000 carats, the largest for more than a century ... cannot be overstated," Lucara president and CEO William Lamb said in the statement.

 The diamond is also the largest one discovered since the Cullinan diamond was found near Pretoria in South Africa in 1905. That diamond weighs more than 3,000 carats, according to The Guardian.

The value of the Lucara diamond is difficult to pinpoint and will depend on several variables including "the size and quality of the polished stones that can be cut from it," Bloomberg reports.

Last week, a rare blue diamond sold for $48.5 million, a new record for a jewel at auction, according to Sotheby's.