The accidental discovery of this massive 601-carat diamond in 1967, in the Letseng mines which are located 3100 meters above sea level in the Lesotho kingdom in South Africa.
The accidental discovery of the massive 601-carat brown diamond was made by a woman named Mrs. Ernestine Ramaboa, in May 1967, and thus became famous as the largest diamond ever discovered by a woman, besides being the 7th largest rough diamond ever discovered in the world. The discovery of the diamond came as a God-given gift to the poor couple, Petrus and Ernestine Ramaboa, who were said to be nearly penniless except for the diamond. The poor couple walked for four days and nights, eventually delivering the diamond to the safekeeping of a reputable diamond buyer.
Later, the diamond was sold for $ 302,400, at an auction held in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. The purchaser of the diamond was a South African diamond dealer, who sold it to a European diamond dealer. After intense international bidding, Harry Winston later acquired the diamond at an auction held in Geneva, in 1968.
The rough stone was cleaved into 18 pieces. The largest diamond produced, Lesotho I, was a 71.73-carat, flawless, emerald-cut diamond with a beautiful pale pink hue.
However, all of the 18 Stones are remarkable. Each diamond is unique and different, just for example, the Lesotho 3 is a marquise weighing 40.42 carats - a famous diamond on its own that got its fame when it was bought by the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis who gave it as a present to his wife, Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Kennedy mounted the diamond in a platinum ring estimated at $600,000 and sold it at an auction for the unbelievable price of $2,587,000 back in 1996. When considering the amazing price, remember that it is only the third-largest diamond in the group.