A large pink diamond weighing 170 carats has been discovered in Angola and is said to be the largest of its kind found in 300 years.
The 170-carat stone has been dubbed the “Lulo Rose,” after the Angolan mine where it was unearthed.
Lulo Rose is believed to be the largest pink diamond mined since the 185-carat Daria-i-Noor, which was cut from a larger stone and is now among the Iranian national jewels.
The Lulo Rose is a type 2a diamond, meaning it has few or no impurities.
Similar diamonds have been bought for tens of millions of dollars in the past, with one – known as Pink Star – selling at a Hong Kong auction for $71.2m in 2017.
But it’s impossible to speculate on how much the Lulo Rose will fetch until it is cut.
Pink diamonds are extremely rare, but the same physical characteristics that make the stones scarce also make them extremely tough and difficult to shape.
The record-breaking, spectacular pink diamond found in Lulo, according to reports from Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources Diamantino Azevedo, “continues to highlight Angola as a significant player on the global stage.”
