JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Australia-based miner Lucapa Diamond Company is starting the year off on a high note, announcing on Wednesday that it had recovered another 100-ct plus stone at its Lulo project, in Angola.
The 116 ct low-quality diamond is the second 100-ct-plus stone recovered in the first three weeks of the year, and also the tenth such diamond unearthed at the mine, which Lucapa owns in a partnership with Empresa Nacional de Diamantes and Rosas & Petalas.
The 116-ct stone was recovered through the X-ray transmission large-diamond recovery circuit installed at Lulo in late 2016.
“Though a low-quality stone, the diamond continues to underline the special large-stone nature and potential of the Lulo diamond project,” the company noted.
Lucapa has also unearthed a 43 ct yellow gem – the largest coloured gem-quality diamond recovered to date from Lulo, surpassing the 39 ct pink recovered in September 2016.
Meanwhile, the miner said it was encouraged by its Lesotho neighbour Letšeng Diamonds’ recent recovery of a 910-ct diamond, which is the fifth largest gem-quality diamond ever found.
The Letšeng mine is located within 5 km of Lucapa’s 70%-owned Mothae kimberlite mine, which previous trial mining has shown to be a source of large and premium-value diamonds.
Mothae remains on track for commissioning in the second half of the year, delivering Lucapa a second complementary high-value production source to Lulo.