BOTSWANA PRESIDENT REACTS TO SECOND LARGEST DIAMOND FOUND IN THE WORLD

Even though Botswana is the world's second-largest producer of natural diamonds, the country's residents are nevertheless taken aback by the appearance of valuable stones there. At a mine in Botswana, the largest diamond was discovered in over a century, and the second largest of all time was recently discovered. A viewing ceremony presided over by Mokgweetsi Masisi, the president of Botswana, was held to unveil it to the world. When the diamond was revealed to be so large, the politician's confused response created almost as much controversy as the stone itself.

The president put his hands out to hold the diamond, closing his eyes and not anticipating its substantial weight. The president was taken aback when the stone was softly placed into his hands. Masisi let out an animated "What?!" as he opened his eyes to see the diamond, looking more and more puzzled. It's overpowering, Masisi remarked. "That I saw it during my lifetime is a blessing." He then used some magnifying glasses to have a closer look at it.

The enormous 2,492-carat diamond is unnamed and weighs about half a kilogram or slightly more than one pound. The rough diamond was discovered at the Karowe Mine in central Botswana, and the discovery was made public by the Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. According to Lucara, the "high-quality" stone was found using X-ray technology intended to detect large, valuable diamonds.