Where Will the 2,488-Carat Motswedi Go?

Weighing nearly half a kilo, the rare gem could soon dazzle in a museum collection—or find its way into the hands of a private collector.

The second-largest diamond ever unearthed, Motswedi, continues to spark global fascination. Found last year at the Karowe mine in northeastern Botswana, the extraordinary stone is now being carefully studied in Antwerp, the world’s diamond capital.

Specialists are analysing the gem to determine what polished diamonds it could yield, a process that will ultimately decide its value. For now, the stone’s price remains a mystery.

Motswedi is part of a remarkable quartet of recently discovered diamonds from the same mine, including the world’s third-largest. Collectively, these four treasures are expected to command well over $100 million once they hit the market.

Interest in the diamond has already poured in from across the globe. Some suggest its rarity makes it an ideal museum piece, while others speculate it could end up in an exclusive private collection.

Botswana’s Karowe mine has a reputation for producing some of the largest gems in history. Before Motswedi, the mine revealed Sewelo, a 1,758-carat stone in 2019. Yet, the title of the largest diamond ever remains with the 3,106-carat Cullinan, found in South Africa in 1905—forever immortalised in the British Crown Jewels.