Russian diamond miner Alrosa celebrated Valentine’s Day by displaying a unique rough diamond that has the shape of a heart.
The rough stone weights 65.7 cts. and was found January 23 in Yakutia. An Alrosa statement says it is “endowed with high-quality characteristics” and is believed to be more than 300 million years old.
In an interview supplied by Alrosa, chief specialist Natalya Kislova called this an “extremely rare” find.
“Rough diamonds come in a wide variety of shapes, but this is the first time in my career that I’ve seen a heart-shaped one of such size,” she said. ”It is noteworthy that nature itself gave this extraordinary form to the rough diamond; humans did not make any effort,” Kislova said.
She said that the miner was still evaluating what to do with the diamond.
“Taking into account the natural shape, there is a chance that any future polished diamond will still be heart-shaped,” she added.
Evgeny Agureev, member of Alrosa’s management board and directorof its sales arm, noted in a statement that “most diamonds are octahedron shaped or do not have a particular shape at all. The appearance of a heart-shaped rough diamond, especially on the eve of Valentine’s Day, seems to be a symbolic gift of nature not only to our company, but also to all loving couples.”
