World’s third largest diamond found in Botswana

Botswana's diamond producer Debswana on Wednesday announced the discovery of a 1,098-carat diamond in the southern African country, the third largest of its kind ever found in the world, it claims.

The stone, discovered on June 1, was shown to Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi in the capital Gaborone. It is believed to be the third largest of its kind found on the planet, said Lynette Armstrong, the director of Debswana, jointly owned by the government and South African diamond dealer De Beers.

This discovery "brings hope to a struggling nation", she added.

The largest known diamond is the "Cullinan", weighing more than 3,100 carats, unearthed in South Africa in 1905.

The second, of 1,109 carats, was discovered in 2015 at the Karowe mine in northeastern Botswana.

Botswana is Africa's largest diamond producer.