Largest diamond in 100 years sells for $53m

The largest diamond to be discovered in over a century has been sold to London-based luxury jewellers, Graff Diamonds for $53m (£39m).

1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona diamond was recovered from a Botswana mine by Canada’s Lucara nearly two years ago. This makes the diamond worth $47,777 (£35,374) per carat.

Its name means ‘our light’ in the Twsana language which is spoken in Botswana.

The Lesedi La Rona went unsold at a Sotheby’s auction last year where it was expected to fetch $86m (£63m).

The diamond, which is roughly the size of a tennis ball, is second in size to the Cullinan, which was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and is the largest diamond in the world.