In the market for a piece of statement jewellery? Would 302.37 carats of diamond be enough of a statement for you? Graff Diamonds announced on Wednesday that the largest square-emerald cut diamond in the world is available for sale. though the price was not disclosed. The finished stone, named Graff Lesedi La Rona, is the principal diamond from the 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona rough diamond found in 2015 in Botswana. Lucara Diamond Corporation sold the Lesedi La Rona to Graff Diamonds for $53 million (Dh194.6 million) – a cool $47,777 per carat – in 2017. The sheer size of the diamond posed a challenge for the Graff gemmologists tasked with analysing, cutting and finishing the stone: it was too big for their equipment. A new scanner had to be built specifically for this rough diamond; it is equipped with specialised imaging software to map the stone and determine what kind of cut would lead to the largest, most brilliant diamond. The entire process took more than 18 months, according to the company. “Cutting a diamond of this size is an art form, the ultimate art of sculpture,” Laurence Graff, founder of Graff Diamonds, said in a statement. “It is the riskiest form of art, because you can never add and you can never cover up a mistake; you can only take away. You have to be careful and you have to be perfect.” In addition to the Graff Lesedi La Rona, 66 “satellite” diamonds resulted from the rough stone. The siblings range from less than a carat to more than 26 carats. _________________ Read more: The rebellious one: Why Gaelle Khoury is not your typical jeweller Designer interprets Louvre Abu Dhabi in jewel form Four jewellery exhibitions to catch in Dubai _________________ Updated: April 11, 2019 11:40 AM
Graff’s Lesedi La Rona diamond, the largest square-emerald cut diamond in the world, has been put up for sale at an undisclosed price. The stone was cut from the 1,109 carat rough diamond found in 2015 in Botswana and sold to Graff for $53m. The 302.37-carat diamond is so large that Graff's existing equipment was unable to accommodate it when gemologists first attempted to analyse, cut and finish the stone. The so called "satellite" diamonds, which are a by-product of the main gem, totalled 26, ranging in size from less than one carat to 66.