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RAPAPORT... Lucara Diamond Corp. recovered a 341.90-carat gem-quality diamond from its Karowe mine in Botswana, while processing fragmental kimberlite from the central and south lobe interface. The type IIa rough diamond shows exceptional color and clarity, according to the firm. Lucara intends to sell the diamond along with two other stones that are larger than 100 carats. 
The mining company also told investors that it is making progress on the plant optimization project at Karowe and that construction activities are essentially completed. Tracer testing of the new XRT diamond recovery machines has been completed and a small volume of material has been processed to check how it handles material, resulting in the recovery of a 7.80-carat diamond. Lucara anticipates that the new recovery and XRT sections will be integrated into the main treatment plant before the end of April. William Lamb, the CEO of Lucara, said, "The recovery of this magnificent stone once again confirms the quality of diamonds contained within the Karowe resource. Timing of the sale of these exceptional stones is still to be decided. "The surprise recovery of the 7.80-carat diamond from the very small quantity of material processed during commissioning of the XRT machines demonstrates the excellent recovery capability of this exciting technology. The final integration of the last sections into the process plant will provide improved mine planning flexibility and allow us to once again access material from all three lobes and more importantly, provide the ability to mine sustainably from the high-value south lobe in the future," he said.
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