Whiteflash-Diamond Playground

A diamond mine in South Africa is claiming to have unearthed the world’s largest diamond—7000 carats!!—which, if confirmed to be real, would be twice the size of the previous world-record holder, the Cullinan Diamond, which was discovered near Pretoria in January 1905 and weighed about 3,106 carats uncut. The stone is said to be the size of a coconut and greenish in color. The Cape Times newspaper received an e-mailed photograph of the supposed stone on a table in a room. (pictured)

Diamond experts were eagerly awaiting images of the stone which was being transported under tight security to a vault in Johannesburg, where it would be photographed. Experts are, however, skeptical about the claim. A spokesman for De Beers said the northwest province was not known for producing gems and greenish stones were even rarer.

‘If it’s true it’s the find of the century,’ said Les Milner, a leading gemologist at the Jewelry Council of South Africa grading laboratories. ‘Even if it’s of bad quality it’s the find of the century.’