Egg-sized diamond sold for record 35m dollars

London, Feb 27 (ANI): A 5071/2-carat gem has become the most expensive rough diamond ever sold, after a company bought the rock for 35.3 million dollars.

Cullinan Heritage stone, the chicken egg-sized gem, discovered in South Africa last year, was bought by Hong Kong's Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Company, Petra Diamonds announced.

Petra recovered the gem, the 19th largest ever found from its Cullinan mine near Pretoria in South Africa in September last year, reports The Telegraph.It is fitting that the Cullinan Heritage should achieve a sale price of 35.3 million dollars, the highest sale price on record ever achieved for a rough diamond, as it has the potential to produce one of the world's most important polished gems. The sale proceeds further bolster Petra's treasury and will be invested in the growth of our core assets," said Johan Dippenaar, Petra's chief executive.

The world's biggest diamond, the 3,106-carat Cullinan, was discovered in the same mine in 1905. (ANI)