# 478-Carat Diamonds Uncut Massive Gem Found in South Africa By Cowbag | Published 2008-09-21 | Fashion Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-worlds-largest-round-diamond-will-uncut-gem-polish-up References: [dailymail](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1058861/Could-worlds-largest-diamond-Huge-uncut-gem-discovered-African-mine.html) A massive 478-carat diamond was found at the Letseng Mine, in Lesotho, a small kingdom in South Africa. It is the 20th [largest rough diamond](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/worth-the-wait) ever found, and it came from a mine that has already delivered three of the world's largest diamonds: the 603-carat Lesotho Promise, the 493-carat Leteng Legacy and the 601-carat Lesotho Brown. A similar but smaller-sized rough stone has recently been valued at $12 million. It is hoped that the uncut diamond will be capable of producing a [150-carat polished gem stone](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gemstones), dwarfing the current [largest Koh-i-Noor diamond](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/omni-boston-hotel), which is a part of the Crown Jewels. Here is a fun carat fact: ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.9/10 - Popularity: 50% | Activity: 58% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/fashion) > [Jewelry](https://www.trendhunter.com/jewelry) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Large-sized Diamonds:** The trend of discovering large-sized diamonds presents opportunities for the gem and jewelry industry to innovate in cutting, polishing, and setting these precious stones. - **Mineral Exploration Technology:** As the discovery of large-sized diamonds requires advanced mineral exploration technology, industries in the mining and geological surveying sector can leverage this trend to innovate new methods and tools for mineral exploration. - **Luxury Commodities Market:** The trend of finding massive diamond stones has the potential to disrupt the luxury commodities market by increasing demand and value for rare gemstones. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Gem and Jewelry Industry:** The gem and jewelry industry can explore the trend of discovering large-sized diamonds, develop innovative techniques for cutting and polishing the gems, and offer unique luxury pieces to consumers. - **Mining Industry:** The mining industry can embrace the trend of discovering large-sized diamonds, improve mineral exploration technology, and optimize the mining process to uncover more rare and valuable stones. - **Luxury Retail Industry:** The luxury retail industry can tap into the trend of discovering large-sized diamonds by catering to high-end consumers looking for one-of-a-kind, exceptionally rare commodities. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Lab-Grown Diamond Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/labgrown-diamonds1.md) - [Gem-Studded Songwriter Rings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bandana-royale.md) - [Lab-Grown Stones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/skydiamond.md) - [Premium Lab-Grown Diamond Rings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/labgrown-diamond-rings.md) - [Ultra-Luxurious Collaborative Jewellery Lines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/collaborative-jewellery.md) - [Blockchain-Backed Natural Diamonds](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blockchain-backed-natural-diamonds.md) - [Local Diamond Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/michael-hill-canadian-diamonds.md) - [Martian Meteorite Collectibles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sothebys-nwa.md) - [Ethical Lab-Grown Diamond Rings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/caratbee.md)