Artisanal miners in the mining town of Coromandel in Brazil have unearthed a second-largest diamond in the country’s history weighing 647 carats and valued at 16 million Brazilian real ($2.87 million).
The town is located in the Minas Gerais state renowned for its extensive mining activities, particularly for iron ore and precious and semi-precious stones. At the same time, Coromandel has a historical reputation as one of the country's main diamond mining hubs.
The discovery took place at the bed of the Douradinho River, a traditional mining area in the rural area of Coromandel. The town is home to several mining companies, cooperatives and artisanal mines.
According to Click Petróleo e Gás news outlet, the diamond was unearthed at the end of May. The mayor of Coromandel, Fernando Breno, has publicly confirmed the discovery.
“Our land is very rich. It’s been a long time since a diamond of this size has been discovered,” he said.
Two other large diamonds mined in Coromandel, nicknamed the ‘Brazilian capital of precious stones’, were the 726-carat Getúlio Vargas Diamond discovered in 1938, and another 600+ carat stone, occupying first and third place in the national ranking, respectively.
According to the report, the diamond has already been sold to an undisclosed buyer for $2.87 million.
Theodor Lisovoy, Managing Editor, Rough&Polished
