JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – TSX- and JSE-listed diamond producer Rockwell Diamonds has recovered three coloured stones from the Saxendrift alluvial diamond mine, in South Africa.

The three stones recovered during October, comprise a salmon-pink stone of 30,54 ct and two intense fancy yellow stones of 35,54 ct and 36,32 ct from its Saxendrift mine on the Middle Orange River.

“Our Saxendrift mine continues to yield an array of exceptional diamonds, including large stones and smaller rare fancy stones of exceptional colour. We expect the latest coloured stones to attract strong rough prices in an improving market,” said Rockwell CEO John Bristow.

The salmon pink stone is a mixed colour, including pink, orange and brown. The rough diamond form is flat and elongated and approximates a Marquise shape in the rough. It is of excellent clean clarity and was a makeable stone, which should yield a good recovery factor in the polished product in spite of its flattened elongate shape.

The intense fancy yellow is clean and of excellent clarity. The shape represents a blocky form, which was previously octahedron, and that has had all it sides removed through wear and abrasion during extensive high river transport.

The intense fancy yellow stone is of excellent clean clarity. The shape is octahedral, although three corners are broken and this has left slight indentations in the stone, which will result in a lower recovery factor in the polished form than the 35,54-ct stone above.

Rockwell said in a statement that these three stones were being processed under the beneficiation agreement with the Steinmetz Diamond Group (SDG). 

In addition to the three stones, an 8,88-ct vivid yellow stone recovered by Rockwell earlier in 2009, has been manufactured and sold by SDG.