Following a private sale, the 1,109-carat uncut stone finally went to luxury jeweler Graff Diamonds, which said in its press release that they are "thrilled and honored to become the new custodians of this incredible diamond."
"The stone will tell us its story, it will dictate how it wants to be cut, and we will take the utmost care to respect its exceptional properties," the company said.
World 2nd largest diamond, the Lesedi La Rona sold for $53 million — The world's second-biggest diamond has… https://t.co/8lRBbFJ391
— 📝Datboyjerry 🇳🇬 (@datboyjerry) 26 сентября 2017 г.
The diamond, named Lesedi La Rona, which can be loosely translated as "our light", was discovered in the South African country Botswana in November 2015.
At the time, the corporation hoped to obtain at least 70 million dollars for the stone, but the highest bid at the auction amounted to 61 million dollars.
In 1905, the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was unearthed in South Africa, only to eventually be cut into several smaller pieces. Some of them are currently owned by the British royal family.