Graff Diamonds Buys Lucara's 1,109Ct Lesedi La Rona For $53M

(IDEX Online) – Lucara Diamond Corp. has sold the 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona recovered from the Karowe mine in Botswana in November 2015 for $53 million ($47,777 per carat) to Graff Diamonds.

Laurence Graff said, "The stone will tell us its story, it will dictate how it wants to be cut, and we will take the utmost care to respect its exceptional properties."

Lucara's President and CEO William Lamb said, comments, "The discovery of the Lesedi La Rona was a company defining event for Lucara. It solidified the amazing potential and rareness of the diamonds recovered at the Karowe mine. We took our time to find a buyer who would take the diamond through its next stage of evolution. The price paid is also an improvement on the highest bid received at the Sotheby's auction in June 2016. Graff Diamonds is now the owner of the Lesedi La Rona as well as the 373 carat diamond, purchased earlier this year, which formed part of the original stone."