Lucara Diamond has recovered a 470 ct top light brown clivage diamond from its wholly owned Karowe diamond mine, in Botswana.
The 470 ct diamond was recovered in the coarse XRT circuit and represents the third diamond weighing more than 300 ct recovered to date this year.
The diamond was recovered from direct milling of ore sourced from the EM/PK(S) unit of the South Lobe and forms a notable contribution to a series of top-quality gem and clivage-quality diamond recoveries during a recent production run, including an additional five diamonds greater than 100 ct and 13 diamonds between 50 ct and 100 ct in weight.
The May production run, dominated by EM/PK(S) ore, produced diamonds greater than 10.8 ct in weight accounting for 12.7% weight percent of total production, exceeding resource expectations.
In the year to date, Karowe has produced ten diamonds greater than 100 ct. That includes six diamonds greater than 200 ct, including the 341 ct and 378 ct top white diamonds recovered in January.
Continued strong resource performance and recovery of large diamonds reinforces the significance of the EM/PK(S) as an important economic driver for the proposed underground mine at Karowe, Lucara notes.
CEO Eira Thomas says the benefits of a South Lobe-dominated mine plan continue to be realised this year and underpin the miner’s confidence in the ever-improving Karowe resource as the miner mines deeper in the openpit to 2026 and moves into underground mining out to at least 2040.
She adds that both main rock types from the South Lobe continue to deliver large, high-value diamonds.