603-carat diamond sold for $12.36 million

SOUTH AFRICAN Diamond Corp. (Safdico), the manufacturing arm of prestigious jeweller Laurence Graff, emerged as the winning bidder at a tender for the world’s 15th largest diamond ever found, paying $12.36 million.

Safdico said the diamond, called the Lesotho Promise, will be cut into one large heart shape and several smaller stones.

The giant diamond was recovered at Lesotho’s Letseng diamond mine, which was recently purchased by Gem Diamond Mining Company and in which the Lesotho government has a 30% stake.

The tender took place in the offices of WWW International Diamond Consultants in Antwerp and included some of the world’s leading diamond companies.
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