The 709-carat diamond is the second-largest to ever be discovered in the West African country, behind only the Star of Sierra Leone, which was found in 1972 and weighed 969 carats, the BBC reported.

Momoh’s diamond is believed to be the largest diamond found in Sierra Leone since the 968-carat “Star of Sierra Leone,” which sold for $2.5 million in 1972.

Sierra Leone officially exported $140 million in diamonds last year, but aid organizations that study the diamond trade say they believe the total of illegal exports was several times higher.

The gem, a bit smaller than a hockey puck, is the second largest diamond found in Sierra Leone. In 1972, the 968.9-carat Star of Sierra Leone was found by miners and sold for about $2.5 million.

Among gemologists, the world’s biggest diamonds are more than just portable forms of extreme wealth—they’re windows into the earth’s deeper mantle. Known as “CLIPPIR” diamonds—the ...

Artisanal, or freelance, miners are a common sight in Sierra Leone's diamond-rich Kono district A Christian pastor has discovered one of the world's largest uncut diamonds in Sierra Leone's Kono ...

By Jason Mitchell Once defined by war and blood diamonds, Sierra Leone is now looking to turn its rich but underdeveloped mineral base – iron ore, gold, rutile and bauxite – into a driver of ...

The gem, a bit smaller than a hockey puck, is the second largest diamond found in Sierra Leone. In 1972, the 968.9-carat Star of Sierra Leone was found by miners and sold for about $2.5 million.

Sierra Leone officially exported $140 million in diamonds last year, but aid organizations that study the diamond trade believe the total of illegal exports was several times higher.

Small-scale artisanal mining has sustained the country's eastern region since diamonds were discovered in 1930, and it was here that the 968.9-carat Star of Sierra Leone - the largest alluvial ...

The gem, a bit smaller than a hockey puck, is the second largest diamond found in Sierra Leone. In 1972, the 968.9-carat Star of Sierra Leone was found by miners and sold for about $2.5 million.