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Lucapa Discovers 68-Carat Diamond at Angola Mine
Mar 30, 2016 5:52 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company found yet another large diamond, weighing
68.1 carats, at its Lulo mine in Angola, providing further evidence the site is
at the “heart of a large diamond province.”
The type-IIa,
D-color gem is one of eight “special” diamonds found during trial mining of
gravels from the E46 alluvial terraces. The weight of other precious stones found
alongside the big diamond ranged from 11.5 carats to 30.5 carats, according to
a statement by the Australia-based miner March 29.
“The recovery
of special diamonds from the E46 alluvial terraces is significant considering
the largest individual diamond recovered from the initial exploration bulk
sampling phase conducted in this area in 2013 weighed just 6.9 carats,” the
company said.
The recovery is
the latest in a line of large gem discoveries in recent months, with Lucapa
unveiling the largest diamond in Angolan history in February, a 404.2-carat
stone from Lulo which it sold for $16 million (AUD 22.5 million). In January it
unveiled a 133.4-carat, relatively low-quality diamond from the mine.
Technological
developments have enabled rough producers to identify and recover large
diamonds that might otherwise have gone through crushers. Lucara Diamond Corp’s
investment in XRT machines for large diamond recovery enabled it to recover a 1,111-carat
gem in November, the second largest rough diamond ever found, at the Karowe
mine in Botswana, as site known for its exceptional diamonds.
Gem Diamonds’
Letšeng mine in the southern African country of Lesotho, also recognized
for its large gems, produced 357-carat and 314-carat diamonds last year.
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Tags:
Angola, large diamonds, lucapa, Lucapa Diamond Company, Lulo, Lulo mine, mining, Rapaport News
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