Rare Blue Diamond found in Lesotho

October 2nd, 2013 by Noam Flint

Natural colored diamonds are incredibly rare, and that means that when a mine stumbles across one of these noteworthy gems, people take notice. That is certainly the case at the Letseng mine in Lesotho, a small African nation found within the country of South Africa.

The find at Letseng

Lesotho’s Letseng mine has been a source of gorgeous diamonds for years. However, the mine put itself on the map with two major discoveries in September 2013, including one blue diamond that is sure to attract a lot of attention. Weighing in at 12.47 carats, this colored gem will likely be a major draw for Gem Diamonds Limited, the company that controls most of the mine, and is also a good sign of things to come for the region.

“Letseng continues to recover large, white, largely undamaged diamonds on a relatively consistent basis, as well as the occasional rare blue or pink diamond,” said Clifford Elphick, CEO of Gem Diamonds. “As mining focuses on the higher value and higher grade Satellite pipe during the latter part of this year, it is expected that Letseng will continue to produce more of these exceptional diamonds.”

SEE ALSO: Petra gets $17 Million Dollars for 25.5 carat Rough Blue Diamond

The blue colored diamond wasn’t the only major find at the African mine. Workers also located an 83.8-carat white diamond. According to Mining Weekly, this white diamond is of exceptional quality and should command a high price when it goes up for sale. While the company has not yet reported on the quality of the blue diamond, expert cutting and polishing should make it a gorgeous stone by the time it goes on display.

Gem Diamonds Limited is based in London, but the company will show off these new diamonds, among many others, at tenders in Antwerp, Belgium, in the near future.

Other blue discoveries

This is not the only big blue discovery made this year. In April, Petra Diamonds Limited uncovered a 25.5-carat blue diamond at the Cullinan mine in South Africa. Petra claimed that the diamond was high-quality gem with a gorgeous light blue color. The rough gem was sold a month later for $17 Million!

The Cullinan mine appears to be a hot spot for blue diamonds. In fact, it is widely regarded as one of the most important sources of the gems in the entire world. It was the site of a few previous discoveries, including a 39.19-carat blue diamond, a 26.60-carat rough stone that eventually yielded a fancy vivid blue and a 7-carat flawless gem, Mining Weekly reported.