NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CANADA — A yellow diamond discovered in a Canadian mine in October is said to be the largest in North America.<br /><br />Dominion Diamond Mines announced in a December 13 press release that it had unearthed a 552-carat yellow diamond at the Diavik Diamond Mines in Canada's Northwest Territories.<br /><br />According to Bloomberg, the gem is the size of a chicken egg. It's also three times the size of the previous record holder — the 187.7-carat Diavik Foxfire which was recovered at the same mine in 2015.<br /><br />Though the Diavik mine produces high-quality diamonds, the largest ones are normally found in mines in southern Africa. Bloomberg calculations rank the yellow diamond as seventh among the 21st century's biggest diamonds.<br /><br />Dominion says the diamond is gem-quality, or suitable for jewelry, though its worth is undetermined. <br /><br />It will not be sold in its rough form, as the company is expected to select a partner to cut and polish the stone.<br /><br />The Foxfire yielded two brilliant-cut pear shape gems that were auctioned off. They ended up being purchased for a cool $1.3 million.
