This 14.53 carat diamond was cut and polished, along with six others, from a single rough of 552.74 carats, which was uncovered in October 2018 in the Diavik Diamond Mine. Located in Canada’s Northwest Territories, about 135 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the Diavik Diamond Mine is ethereally beautiful and almost mythical. Having opened in 2003, Diavik is Canada’s second diamond mine, following the Ekati Diamond Mine which opened in 1998.

Diamond mining in Canada is relatively new, with an approximate 30 year-old history. The record for the largest known gem quality rough ever mined in North America was previously held by the 187.66 carat Foxfire rough also from Diavik Diamond Mine, unearthed in 2015. Skillfully studied, the rough was transformed into several diamonds, including a pair of pear-shaped diamonds of 37.87 and 36.80 carats, auctioned at Christie’s New York in December 2018 for $1.5 million.

The 552.74 carat yellow rough diamond most impressively trumps the previous record for the largest gem quality rough ever discovered in North America. The largest diamond cut from this rough is the remarkable fancy intense yellow diamond of 204.36 carats. Named the Dancing Sun, it is also the largest polished diamond mined in North America to date and previously sold at Christie’s New York in June 2021 for $4,950,000.