Omega Pays $8.26 Million for 215-carat Diamond Unearthed in Lesotho

Belgium’s Omega Diamonds paid $8.26 million for a 215-carat diamond unearthed at Lesotho’s Letseng mine. The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (ADWC) reported the sale Wednesday, saying the transaction, at $38,000 per carat, represents the highest average per carat price for a D-color diamond ever tendered by Letseng.

“This is a remarkable stone, not only for its size but for the resultant size of the polished stone and its exceptional gem quality,” Omega said. “It is going to be a big piece. The shape is something that will be sweated over for months.”

“As a rough trading center, Antwerp is very excited to have such an important stone tendered here. We continue to fully support such tenders as part of our ongoing efforts to facilitate the diamond trade,” said ADWC spokesperson Philip Claes.

The Letseng mine is renowned for size and quality of the diamonds it produces. It is owned jointly by recently publicly listed Gem Diamonds (70%) and the Lesotho Government (30%). The Letseng Tenders are held by WWW International Diamond Consultants on a monthly basis.

Omega Diamonds is one of the largest Antwerp-based rough diamond firms.