The Letšeng mine is renowned for its production of large, top colour, exceptional white diamonds
London-listed Gem Diamonds achieved an 18% quarter-on-quarter increase in production for the quarter ended September 30, with 26 913 ct recovered.
The company, which owns and operates the Letšeng mine, in Lesotho, noted in a trading update for the quarter that the rough diamond market had experienced a downturn this year.
"A decrease in the number of large, high-value diamonds recovered, combined with this market pressure, have negatively impacted the average dollar per carat and revenue achieved during the period," it said in the November 1 trading update.
The volume of carats sold decreased by 10% quarter-on-quarter to 23 955 ct, while the achieved price decreased by 1% quarter-on-quarter to $1 310/ct.