Super diamond discovered in east China province

A super diamond weighing 101.47 carats has been discovered in Mengyin county of east China's Shandong Province, the China National Materials Industry Group announced here on Tuesday.

The gem was found during ore dressing in a mine of the group in Mengyin on May 27, it said.

China's National Gemstone Testing Center said both the gem's color and clarity are up to the quality of a finished diamond.

In 1983, another diamond with a weight of 119.01 carats was also found in Mengyin.

The group's General Manager Tan Zhongming said this was the first time that a diamond weighing above 100 carats was located in the course of ore dressing in China, indicating China's technical level in diamond exploration, mining and dressing.

Currently, the retail sales of diamond ornaments make up 60 percent of the world's total gemstone market.

Since 2000, the world's retail sales of diamond ornaments have been growing at a rate of 2 percent annually, while in China, the rate reached above 10 percent annually.

Source: Xinhua