A Sierra Leone mining operation discovered a 476-carat rough diamond at the Meya deposit in the nation’s Kono district on 10th November 2017.
Meya Mining, a subsidiary of Namibia-based conglomerate Trustco Group, found the diamond, which ranks as the fifth-largest rough ever found in Sierra Leone.
“Any value indication of the diamond is pure speculation at this stage, as the diamond has not yet been examined and assessed by the necessary experts,” Trustco said.
Meya holds a four-year exclusive diamond-exploration license in the Kono district. It found the stone in an area spanning from the Kamara Gbense to the Tankoro chiefdoms, and intends to sell it through an international auction, the parent company explained.
On the same day, Meya also unearthed diamonds weighing 27.93 carats and 19.70 carats in Kono, Trustco added.