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submitted 2 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

The largest diamond found in more than a century has been unearthed at a mine in Botswana, and the country’s president showed off the fist-sized stone to the world at a viewing ceremony Thursday.

The Botswana government says the huge 2,492-carat diamond is the second-biggest ever discovered in a mine. It’s the biggest diamond found since 1905.

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[-] AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today 65 points 2 months ago

Which billionaire is going to spend money on this rather than spending it on helping humanity?

[-] davidgro@lemmy.world 21 points 2 months ago

If the money eventually gets to the people of Botswana then it could help them. Feels like a long shot though.

[-] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 60 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

When was the last time a transaction involving a giant precious jewel benefited regular people?

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Yeah, somebody in Botswana will benefit; somebody corrupt. Pennies on the dollar will trickle down, if it goes the way it normally does.

[-] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Maybe the diamond magnate will hire locals to build statues in his honour!

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[-] n3m37h@sh.itjust.works 42 points 2 months ago

Look ma, a rock....

Please, I'd rather have man made stones as they are cheaper and require no slave labour

[-] hoch@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

require no slave labour

Apparently this was mined in a Canadian-run "ethical diamond" mine with modern worker conditions, environment protections, and safety regulations. I was kinda surprised.

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

It was located using X-ray technology designed to find large, high-value diamonds.

Sounds like they're using tech at this mine.

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[-] BowtiesAreCool@lemmy.world 34 points 2 months ago

I just want to know what genius named carats and karats ostensibly the same thing, especially when both are related to jewellery, but one means purity and the other is just a measure of weight

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 27 points 2 months ago

It’s intentional to sow confusion. That way you just defer to the nice, good-looking sales person at your local jewelry store to tell you what is valuable and don’t question the cartel pricing and artificial scarcity.

[-] JustZ@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Reminds me of how those malls would have two or three jewelry stores in the middle, right across from each other, and they were all owned by the same company!

[-] SomethingBurger@jlai.lu 22 points 2 months ago

There's worse: 1 Calorie = 1000 calorie

[-] kboy101222@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 months ago

Isn't that some American BS? Every non American food I've had was measured in Kilocalories

[-] SomethingBurger@jlai.lu 5 points 2 months ago

I'm from France. Food packaging uses kcal but I've seen articles about diets and stuff use Cal.

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[-] Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world 27 points 2 months ago

Some poor person probably got paid the whipping sum of $20 for finding that thing

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

I doubt the poor person in question was running a high-tech X-ray diamond finder.

I wonder what percentage of people at least skim the story before forming an opinion.

[-] jerkface@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 months ago

X-ray diamond finder

*rolls eyes* This is real life, not Minecraft!

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 25 points 2 months ago

That is a cartoonishly large diamond. Cut it into that stereotypical cartoon diamond shape!

[-] NegativeInf@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago
[-] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 2 months ago

Some billionaire is probably gonna turn it into a door handle, unfortunately

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Still better than cutting it into a large set of boring-ass baubles IMO.

[-] lnxtx@feddit.nl 21 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)
[-] BlackLaZoR@fedia.io 7 points 2 months ago

That's big enough for pretty much any usecase

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

You underestimate how impractical my ideas are. ~~I accept Venmo, invest now before it's too late.~~

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[-] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Good lord. I wonder what kind of saw that put that on

[-] workerONE@lemmy.world 18 points 2 months ago

Oh that's mine I dropped it

[-] c0smokram3r@midwest.social 15 points 2 months ago

Someone once described diamonds as nothing but space poop & it’s all I think about when I see ppl w diamond jewelry 😂💍💩☄️

[-] datelmd5sum@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago

DO NOT BUY this when it's new! It's gonna be 1/10th the price when it gets pawned.

[-] CaliforniaSober@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 months ago

Oh… okay!

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 2 months ago

I kind of think they should leave it like that.

[-] CaliforniaSober@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 months ago

They likely will! If touched it is then “cut” and less value. The raw “uncut” version is what will sell.

They said the 1905 one was cut into multiple gems?! Seems such a waste.

[-] CaliforniaSober@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 months ago

Eventually it’s how things go… basically dividing the wealth but ultimately we’re talking about bullshit carbon and shouldn’t be so concerned. Yet…

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[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

And then the buyer will probably cut it into whatever number and carat of individual gems will sell for the most - or so I understand.

[-] MisterNeon@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

That's a Chaos Emerald. Botswana is about to get all of its fauna robotized.

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 months ago
[-] can@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 months ago

Although infertile, the hybrid had a very active libido, mounting both ewes and nannies even when they were not in heat. This earned the hybrid the name Bemya or rapist. He was castrated when he was 10 months old because he was becoming a nuisance.

Welp

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[-] t_berium@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Makes me want to watch 'Blood Diamond' again.

[-] Binette@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 months ago

Nice precious rock the Botswanans found! I'm sure it would be preserved as it is, or if it's sold, that it would greatly benifit Botswana's economy

/s :(

[-] ZombieMantis@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

Cool, I can burn it to ash with the tools in my garage.

Diamonds are shiny/glittery and hard, that's about it.

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

And thermally conductive, and low-friction, and semiconducting. They are pretty neat, just for different reasons than people think.

Also, it wouldn't leave ash, because it's totally pure carbon, but that's just a nitpick.

[-] Transporter_Room_3@startrek.website 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Well, I could have gone into detail about their scientific and industrial value, but those aren't what massively inflates their perceived importance and price.

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this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2024
238 points (96.9% liked)

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