Graff Acquires The Meya Prosperity Diamond
December 2017 – Laurence Graff has acquired an important 476 carat stone from Sierra Leone, further enhancing his peerless repertoire of famous and historic diamonds.
The 29th largest diamond ever uncovered, and the 5th largest from Sierra Leone, the Meya Prosperity diamond was recently discovered in the Kono District by Meya Mining, a company jointly owned by Trustco Resources and Germinate Sierra Leone.
In a remarkable alliance between Jan Joubert, CEO of Meya Mining, and Ibrahim Sorie Kamara, shareholder of Germinate SL Limited, the original license holder, the mine unearthed the 476 carat stone just five days after final sign-off of the newly-built mining plant.
Committing to an ambitious strategy that entailed immediate investment in the very best recovery equipment and an extremely tight timeline, the stars aligned for the mine to recover the stone in its very first extraction – an unparalleled rarity and a miraculous find.
Such a discovery marks a promising future for the region, and Ibrahim Sorie Kamara, a young Sierra Leonean, is optimistic that his acquiring of the license and the subsequent unearthed treasure will lead to substantial change and development for his country.
When applying to the Sierra Leone government to achieve the coveted license, he argued that if he were awarded it, “many young Sierra Leoneans will emerge from the shadows of foreign investors and pursue opportunities like this, which can only be good for our country.
“Give me this opportunity to inspire a generation and ignite the real engine of our country’s economic transformation.”
Jan Joubert comments: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Laurence Graff for the purchase of the Meya Prosperity diamond. Under the leadership of Chairman Laurence Graff, Graff is best placed to take the Meya Prosperity story forward, with a proven track record in exceptional stones.
“It is important that we align ourselves with companies that understand our core values and aspirations – transparency, accountability and integrity. Graff is a company that represents that.”
Earlier this year, Sierra Leone yielded the Peace Diamond, a 709 carat diamond also acquired by Laurence Graff.
The Meya Prosperity and the Peace Diamond join the 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona and a further 373 carat stone in a roll call of significant rough diamonds purchased by Graff in 2017.
Graff has now acquired, cut and polished the majority of the top 21 largest stones of the 21st century.
Laurence Graff said: “This year we have acquired four of the most important diamonds in history. We are extremely proud to be the custodians of such exceptionally rare stones.
“Our expert team will now spend several months analysing the Meya Prosperity, discovering the remarkable potential that lies beneath its depths. We will take extreme care with it, as we do with all of our beautiful diamonds.
“The coming months will bring much excitement as we begin to unveil the results of cutting and polishing these incredible stones. We will soon reveal some of the most fabulous and valuable diamonds that the world has ever seen.”
