‘Unique discovery’: Russia unearths its largest ever color diamond in Far North

The world's leading diamond producer, ALROSA, has discovered a 236-carat rough diamond of deep amber color at its mine in the northeastern region of Yakutia. The stunning gem is the largest color diamond ever mined in Russia.

The unique jewel of “intense yellow-brown color,” thought to be 120 to 230 million years old, was found at the Ebelyakh mine on the river Anabar, the mining company revealed on Friday. As the deposit sits in Russia's Far North, known for its harsh climate, its development is usually limited to the summer months.

“Such a large natural color rough diamond is a unique discovery,” Pavel Vinikhin, head of Diamonds at ALROSA cutting and polishing division said, adding that the gem could spark interest among foreign diamond cutting companies.

However, the producer has not yet decided whether it will sell the precious stone in its rough form or prepare it in-house after its valuation is finished. The rough gem, with initial dimensions of 47x24x22 millimetres, could be turned into several high quality polished diamonds.

It’s not the first time a rough color diamond has been unearthed at the Ebelyakh deposit. In just one month in 2017, three unique stones of intense yellow, pink and purple-pink colors were discovered there.

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