ANGOLA, AFRICA,DIAMOND,404CARAT,LULO DIAMOND PROJECT,TYPE IIA,HUGE DIAMOND,TOMONEWS

ANGOLA, AFRICA — The largest diamond discovered in Angola, Africa was announced Monday, Feb. 15. The 404.2 carat gem was mined by Lulo Diamond Project, a partnership between Australia's Lucapa Diamond Company Limited; Endiama E.P., Angola's national diamond company; and private investor Rosas & Pétalas. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the diamond, found in Angola, could be worth more than $20 million in Australian currency, or $14.3 million USD. And according to the announcement by Lucapa, New York-based diamond retailer Yehuda tested the new diamond's color and clarity and categorized it as a Type IIa stone, meaning it's virtually flawless. It is the largest found at the Lulo mine in Angola, where the project commenced in August 2015. The Lulo Diamond Project explores a 1,148 square-mile plot of land in central Angola and the area has so far produced more than 60 "large special diamonds," the company said. It is the 27th largest recorded diamond in the world, the first being a 3,106 carat gem, called the "Cullinan." It weighed in at 1.3 pounds and was discovered in South Africa in 1905. That stone was cut to adorn the royal scepter, one of Britain's crown jewels, and is on display at the Tower of London. The second largest weighed 1,111 carats and was found in November 2014 in Botswana.