FIVE THINGS ABOUT A HUGE DIAMOND

1 SIZE OF TWO GOLF BALLS

One of the biggest diamonds in history has been discovered in the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa. The 910-carat stone, about the size of two golf balls, was discovered at the Letseng mine.

2 AS PURE AS THEY COME

It weighs more than a regulation baseball (about five ounces), and more than half as much as the average male human heart (about 10 ounces). The diamond is the fifthbiggest ever found. It’s a D colour Type IIa diamond, which means it is colourless and very radiant, without any yellow tint or impurities like nitrogen that absorb light and decrease lustre.

3 HIGH QUALITY

Gem Diamonds, the London-based company that owns a majority stake in the mine and that announced the find Monday, described the diamond as being of extremely high quality. Gem did not say how it will sell the diamond or what it could be worth.

4 COULD BE WORTH TENS OF MILLIONS

The previous largest find in Lesotho, the 603-carat Lesotho Promise diamond, sold for $12.4 million in 2006, and diamond prices have increased significantly since then. Stones of that size can make some of the world’s most extravagant finished jewels seem like mere baubles.

5 GEM OF A MINE

The Letseng mine, at an elevation of almost 10,000 feet, is known for producing very large, high-quality diamonds. The government of Lesotho, a constitutional monarchy surrounded by South Africa, owns a minority stake in the mine.