Letlapa Tala means 'blue rock' in Northern Sotho (commonly known as Pedi), the predominant language spoken in the Cullinan area.
The Letlapa Tala Collection consists of five Type IIb blue diamonds of 25.75, 21.25, 17.57, 11.42 and 9.61 carats in size. Type II diamonds contain no detectable nitrogen in their chemical structure and tend to display exceptional transparency. Type IIb stones contain a small amount of boron which is what determines their blue colour.
Blue diamonds are so rare that most people working in the diamond industry have never even seen one. There are no official statistics on their recovery, so it is therefore even more unusual that these five spectacular stones were all recovered within the space of one week's production in
The unique geology of the Cullinan kimberlite pipe means that the majority of its diamonds are aged between 3.2 and 1.1 billion years old - spanning a time in the Earth's history from before the formation of the first major continents to the beginnings of multicellular life. However, Type IIb blue diamonds are so rare that their age has not been established. Recent studies on minerals trapped inside these diamonds imply that they are amongst the deepest-formed diamonds ever found, created at depths in excess of 500km below the Earth's surface. The boron that gives their blue colour has been linked to seawater suggesting that these diamonds are a record of rocks from the ocean floor that have been transported to the lower mantle by plate tectonics, where these diamonds formed under conditions of extreme pressure and temperature.
This is likely to be the first time that five blue rough diamonds have ever been offered for sale at one time, with buyers being offered the chance to bid either on individual stones, more than one, or for the entire collection.
The Letlapa Tala Collection will be available for viewings in the key diamond centres of:
The sales tender for the collection will take place shortly thereafter and will close at
Contact:
Tel: +44 20 7494 8203
About
Petra Diamonds is a leading independent diamond mining group and a consistent supplier of gem quality rough diamonds to the international market. The Company has a diversified portfolio incorporating interests in three underground producing mines in
Petra's strategy is to focus on value rather than volume production by optimising recoveries from its high-quality asset base in order to maximise their efficiency and profitability. The Group has a significant resource base of ca. 250 million carats, which supports the potential for long-life operations.
Petra conducts all operations according to the highest ethical standards and will only operate in countries which are members of the Kimberley Process. The Company aims to generate tangible value for each of its stakeholders, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of its host countries and supporting long-term sustainable operations to the benefit of its employees, partners and communities.
Petra is quoted with a premium listing on the Main Market of the
Notes to Editors
About the
Located at the foothills of the Magaliesberg mountain range, 37 kilometres north-east of
It earned its place in history with the discovery of the Cullinan diamond in 1905, the largest rough gem diamond ever found at 3,106 carats. This iconic stone was cut into the two most important diamonds which form part of the Crown Jewels in the
About blue diamonds
Blue diamonds are one of nature's most special treasures. They are so rare that there are no official statistics on their recovery, however the
True miracles of nature, the captivating blue colour is produced by the presence of the trace element boron within the stone's carbon structure during its formation deep within the Earth's mantle.
Virtually every blue diamond described by the
High quality blue diamonds command the very highest values, with the 12 carat polished Blue Moon of Josephine (cut from a 29 carat rough blue diamond from the
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