Huge Sierra Leone Diamond Found, Gem Is One Of The Biggest Ever

A massive uncut diamond has been found in West Africa by the most unlikely of people: A pastor. While the circumstances surrounding the discovery were not immediately announced, the diamond's huge size has already placed it in contention for one of the biggest gems of all time, BBC reported Thursday.

Pastor Emmanuel Momoh found the diamond in the Kono district of Sierra Leone, which has built up an international reputation as a one of the primary places diamonds are found. It weighed in at 709 karats, making it the second-heaviest and largest diamond ever found in the country. The biggest diamond ever found in Sierra Leone weighed 969 carats and was discovered in 1972.

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The diamond has not been valued yet, but it was taken to one of Sierra Leone's largest banks to be kept secure on Wednesday. However, it was not clear if Momoh would receive any momentary compensation for his discovery. Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma indicated that Momoh would get "what is due" but that the diamond would also go toward helping the entire country.

Sierra Leone's association with diamonds hasn't always been a positive one. Civil wars have broken out in the region over the jewels, leading to them being called "conflict diamonds" or "blood diamonds."

Jeweler De Beers controlled the country's diamond trade starting in 1935, but once other countries caught on to how rich in diamonds Sierra Leone was, illegal smuggling out of the country began.

As such, Koroma thanked Momoh and local law enforcement "for not smuggling the diamond out of the country."

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The largest diamond found in a century was found in mine in Botswana last year. It was 1,111 carats and the size of a tennis ball, according to Mining.com. It is still the second-largest diamond of all time and had a price tag of more than $70 million.

The world's largest diamond on record was found in Brazil in 1893. It has been called the "Sergio" diamond and weighed 3,167 carats.