世界第15大钻石被拍卖

　　A South African company bought the world's 15th-largest rough diamond Monday， paying more than $12 million for the golf-ball sized gem found in the tiny Southern Africa country of Lesotho， officials said.

　　South African Diamond Corp.， the overseas-based manufacturing arm of famed British gem seller Graff Jewelers， purchased the 603-carat stone for $12.4 million， said Lesotho's Natural Resources Minister Mamphono Khaketla， whose government co-owned the gem with a private concern， Gem Diamonds.

　　“We called the diamond the 'Lesotho Promise.' We promise you more of the same and better in the future，”Khaketla told reporters in the Belgian city's diamond district.

　　South African Diamond Corp. said it plans to turn the raw stone into one cut gem above 60 carats in addition to other， smaller stones， with a final sale price of more than $20 million. Experts have graded the stone "class D，" saying it is of the clearest quality， with no color blemishes.

　　本周一，南非

　　莱索托自然资源大臣曼福诺·哈克特拉说：“这颗603克拉的钻石卖给了南非钻石公司，价格为1240万美元。它原为莱索托政府和一家私营企业共同所有。”南非钻石公司是英国著名珠宝商GRAFF的海外分公司。

　　哈克特拉说，钻石名为“莱索托诺言”，意为莱索托承诺未来将开采到同样甚至更好的钻石。

　　南非钻石公司表示，打算将这颗未经加工的钻石加工成超过60克拉的单切钻石和其他小钻石，最终售价可达到2000万美元以上。专家把“莱索托诺言”评为最高色级的D级钻石，纯净无瑕，完全无色。