Image: Lucara Diamonds.
By Cameron Drummond
A 706-carat diamond unearthed by a Pastor in Sierra Leone could be the 10th largest stone ever found.
The rock was found by Emmanuel Momoh, one of thousands of self-employed diamond miners who seek their fortune in the diamond-rich Kono region famous for its manipulation by militias who swapped the rare stones for weapons during the country’s decade-long civil war in the 1990s.
The discovery is the biggest diamond found in Sierra Leone for more than 45 years.
In an act of selflessness, Mr Momoh handed the diamond over to the Government, saying he hoped it would help fund more development in the nation.
A recent spate of large diamond finds have frenzied miners in southern Africa, starting in November 2015 when Canadian-based Lucara Diamonds unearthed a 1111-carat stone in neighbouring Botswana, one of the largest in recent history.
