NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CANADA — A yellow diamond discovered in a Canadian mine in October is said to be the largest in North America.
Dominion Diamond Mines announced in a December 13 press release that it had unearthed a 552-carat yellow diamond at the Diavik Diamond Mines in Canada's Northwest Territories.
According to Bloomberg, the gem is the size of a chicken egg. It's also three times the size of the previous record holder — the 187.7-carat Diavik Foxfire which was recovered at the same mine in 2015.
Though the Diavik mine produces high-quality diamonds, the largest ones are normally found in mines in southern Africa. Bloomberg calculations rank the yellow diamond as seventh among the 21st century's biggest diamonds.
Dominion says the diamond is gem-quality, or suitable for jewelry, though its worth is undetermined.
It will not be sold in its rough form, as the company is expected to select a partner to cut and polish the stone.
The Foxfire yielded two brilliant-cut pear shape gems that were auctioned off. They ended up being purchased for a cool $1.3 million.
