this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2024
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The largest diamond found in more than a century has been unearthed at a mine in Botswana, and the country’s president showed off the fist-sized stone to the world at a viewing ceremony Thursday.

The Botswana government says the huge 2,492-carat diamond is the second-biggest ever discovered in a mine. It’s the biggest diamond found since 1905.

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[–] AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today 65 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Which billionaire is going to spend money on this rather than spending it on helping humanity?

[–] davidgro@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If the money eventually gets to the people of Botswana then it could help them. Feels like a long shot though.

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 60 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

When was the last time a transaction involving a giant precious jewel benefited regular people?

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yeah, somebody in Botswana will benefit; somebody corrupt. Pennies on the dollar will trickle down, if it goes the way it normally does.

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Maybe the diamond magnate will hire locals to build statues in his honour!

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Jewelry stores get robbed sometimes lol

[–] n3m37h@sh.itjust.works 42 points 1 year ago (11 children)

Look ma, a rock....

Please, I'd rather have man made stones as they are cheaper and require no slave labour

[–] hoch@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

require no slave labour

Apparently this was mined in a Canadian-run "ethical diamond" mine with modern worker conditions, environment protections, and safety regulations. I was kinda surprised.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

It was located using X-ray technology designed to find large, high-value diamonds.

Sounds like they're using tech at this mine.

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[–] BowtiesAreCool@lemmy.world 34 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I just want to know what genius named carats and karats ostensibly the same thing, especially when both are related to jewellery, but one means purity and the other is just a measure of weight

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s intentional to sow confusion. That way you just defer to the nice, good-looking sales person at your local jewelry store to tell you what is valuable and don’t question the cartel pricing and artificial scarcity.

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[–] SomethingBurger@jlai.lu 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There's worse: 1 Calorie = 1000 calorie

[–] kboy101222@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Isn't that some American BS? Every non American food I've had was measured in Kilocalories

[–] SomethingBurger@jlai.lu 5 points 1 year ago

I'm from France. Food packaging uses kcal but I've seen articles about diets and stuff use Cal.

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[–] hate2bme@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Some poor person probably got paid the whipping sum of $20 for finding that thing

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I doubt the poor person in question was running a high-tech X-ray diamond finder.

I wonder what percentage of people at least skim the story before forming an opinion.

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[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That is a cartoonishly large diamond. Cut it into that stereotypical cartoon diamond shape!

[–] NegativeInf@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Some billionaire is probably gonna turn it into a door handle, unfortunately

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Still better than cutting it into a large set of boring-ass baubles IMO.

[–] lnxtx@feddit.nl 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)
[–] BlackLaZoR@fedia.io 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That's big enough for pretty much any usecase

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

You underestimate how impractical my ideas are. ~~I accept Venmo, invest now before it's too late.~~

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[–] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Good lord. I wonder what kind of saw that put that on

[–] workerONE@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Oh that's mine I dropped it

[–] datelmd5sum@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

DO NOT BUY this when it's new! It's gonna be 1/10th the price when it gets pawned.

[–] CaliforniaSober@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago

Oh… okay!

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I kind of think they should leave it like that.

[–] CaliforniaSober@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

They likely will! If touched it is then “cut” and less value. The raw “uncut” version is what will sell.

[–] fine_sandy_bottom@lemmy.federate.cc 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

They said the 1905 one was cut into multiple gems?! Seems such a waste.

[–] CaliforniaSober@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Eventually it’s how things go… basically dividing the wealth but ultimately we’re talking about bullshit carbon and shouldn’t be so concerned. Yet…

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[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

And then the buyer will probably cut it into whatever number and carat of individual gems will sell for the most - or so I understand.

[–] MisterNeon@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's a Chaos Emerald. Botswana is about to get all of its fauna robotized.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] can@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Although infertile, the hybrid had a very active libido, mounting both ewes and nannies even when they were not in heat. This earned the hybrid the name Bemya or rapist. He was castrated when he was 10 months old because he was becoming a nuisance.

Welp

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[–] t_berium@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Makes me want to watch 'Blood Diamond' again.

[–] Binette@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

Nice precious rock the Botswanans found! I'm sure it would be preserved as it is, or if it's sold, that it would greatly benifit Botswana's economy

/s :(

[–] ZombieMantis@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago
[–] Transporter_Room_3@startrek.website 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Cool, I can burn it to ash with the tools in my garage.

Diamonds are shiny/glittery and hard, that's about it.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

And thermally conductive, and low-friction, and semiconducting. They are pretty neat, just for different reasons than people think.

Also, it wouldn't leave ash, because it's totally pure carbon, but that's just a nitpick.

[–] Transporter_Room_3@startrek.website 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Well, I could have gone into detail about their scientific and industrial value, but those aren't what massively inflates their perceived importance and price.

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