Botswana has unveiled a blue diamond whose value could outstrip that of the storied Hope Diamond: the 20.46-carat, close-to-flawless Okavango Blue.
Botswana’s 20.46-carat “Okavango Blue” diamond is called a “once-in-a-lifetime find.” See it on our blog… https://t.co/DxbD54Nuuh pic.twitter.com/A6cDRr19eh
— RossElliottJewelers (@REJewelers) April 22, 2019
The diamond was presented in Gaborone, Botswana by the state-owned Okavango Diamond Company. Found as a 41.11-carat rough stone in the Orapa mine operated by the producer Debswana, the jewel is the largest blue diamond ever found in Botswana.
Like the Hope Diamond—which likely originated in Golconda, India and now resides at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington—the Okavango Blue is a Type IIb “fancy blue” diamond. (Its tint the result of boron inside the gem.)
While the Hope Diamond is larger at 45.52 carats, the Okavango Blue’s immense value lies in its clarity. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) graded the diamond as “Very, Very Slightly Included,” or VVS2, meaning inclusions—internal imperfections—”are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification.”
In comparison, the Hope Diamond received a “Very Slightly Included,” or VS1 grade, according to the Smithsonian, meaning “inclusions are minor and range from difficult to somewhat easy for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification.”
Marcus ter Haar, managing director of Okavango Diamond Company, said in a statement: “It is incredibly unusual for a stone of this color and nature to have come from Botswana—a once-in-lifetime find, which is about as rare as a star in the Milky Way.”
20 Carat Blue Diamond Discovered in Botswana https://t.co/33Q2FbluBG via @JCKMagazine
— Sylvie Collection (@sylviecollectn) April 22, 2019
“It is little surprise blue diamonds are so sought after around the world as only a very small percentage of the world’s diamonds are classified as fancy color and, of those, only a select few can be classified as being Fancy Blue,” he said.
“Only a handful of similar blue stones have come to market during the last decade, of which the Okavango Blue rightfully takes its place as one of the most significant.”
Woman May Earn $350,000 From Infertile Chicken
After slaughtering a family chicken that hadn’t laid a single egg in five years, a woman found a tennis-ball sized brown object inside its belly, which may earn her up to an equivalent of $350,000.
The spherical object is referred to as “chicken gold” or “chicken treasure” in China where it is a highly valued food. When it occurs naturally, it is worth up to an equivalent of $3,000 per gram (0.03 ounces), according to a video report by Sichuan Pear, a local Chinese news outlet, on April 2.
Du Xiaoxia’s chicken left her with a 115 gram (4 ounce) ball of this treasure in Sichuan, China.
A local professional appraiser has assured Du that she had indeed struck “chicken gold.”
Some say that chicken gold forms from an accumulation of immature eggs inside the hen.
Its value comes from its suspected use in modern Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Striking Chicken Gold
Du’s family owned the chicken for five years. Du’s mother said that the bird never once laid a single egg. The family then decided to slaughter it for a large family reunion, according to the Sichuan Pear.
After the deed was done, they unexpectedly found a large object inside the belly of the chicken. It was the ball of chicken gold, just slightly smaller than a tennis ball.
Du’s mother, named Zheng Xiaoqin, said they thought at first that it was just a large, double yolked egg. Later, they thought it instead must be chicken treasure.
After comparing what they had found to pictures online, they were confident that they had chicken gold. A professional antique appraiser verified the treasure through photos sent via Du’s smartphone.
“After it’s air-dried, it can be sold as a valuable TCM ingredient,” a woman working for the appraiser responded over the phone in the Sichuan Pear video. “To give a reference based on prices from the last one to two years, it will be about 20,000 Yuan ($3,000) per gram (0.03 ounces).”
The report did not say if Du had made a sale.
Epoch Times reporter Daniel Holl contributed to this report
