OMEN
08-31-2007, 09:13 PM
Miners in South Africa claim they have unearthed the biggest diamond in the world.
The giant 7,000 carat jewel is said to be the size of a coconut and worth at least £15million, reports the Daily Mirror.
Weighing in at 4lbs and is more than twice the size of the previous biggest diamond - the Cullinan, discovered in 1905.
Last night the stone find was on its way to a top-security bank vault. The owners said it would be kept safe "until we calm down and decide what to do".
Experts are due to examine it today. Depending on its purity, the stone, described as "greenish", could be split into a number of gems each worth millions.
The Cullinan was cut into 105 stones, the biggest of which - the Great Star of Africa - is in the crown jewels. The new discovery has set the international diamond community alight.
Expert Fred Cuellar said: "It was stunning news. There will be a lot of mad bidding from a lot of private individuals for this stone."
The firm which found the diamond has yet to reveal its identity. De Beers said: "If it is genuine it will be the stone of the century."
Annanova
The giant 7,000 carat jewel is said to be the size of a coconut and worth at least £15million, reports the Daily Mirror.
Weighing in at 4lbs and is more than twice the size of the previous biggest diamond - the Cullinan, discovered in 1905.
Last night the stone find was on its way to a top-security bank vault. The owners said it would be kept safe "until we calm down and decide what to do".
Experts are due to examine it today. Depending on its purity, the stone, described as "greenish", could be split into a number of gems each worth millions.
The Cullinan was cut into 105 stones, the biggest of which - the Great Star of Africa - is in the crown jewels. The new discovery has set the international diamond community alight.
Expert Fred Cuellar said: "It was stunning news. There will be a lot of mad bidding from a lot of private individuals for this stone."
The firm which found the diamond has yet to reveal its identity. De Beers said: "If it is genuine it will be the stone of the century."
Annanova