Gaborone – Lucara Diamond Corporation (“Lucala” or the “Company”) announces the recovery of 1,305.4 carats of exceptional diamonds from its wholly-owned Karowe Diamond Mine (“Karowe” or “Karowe Mine”) in Botswana.
This stone is the 10th diamond of more than 1,000 carats recovered by the company since operations began, further strengthening Karowe's position as the world's single most prolific source of very large and valuable diamonds.
The diamond was recovered by the Mega Diamond Recovery (“MDR”) X-ray Transmission (“XRT”) equipment, which helps preserve and recover some of the world's largest gem-quality diamonds.
Recently recovered stones are classified as white and unbroken.
The stone size is 79.9mm x 34.1mm x 51.9mm.
The stone was recovered during processing of a mixture of open pit material and previously mined unprocessed stockpiled ore.
As a result, we are unable to conclusively determine whether diamonds originate from open pit mining or from stockpiled material at the mine.
Since beginning production, Karowe has established an unparalleled record for the recovery of large, high-quality diamonds, including the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, the 1,094-carat Seriti, the 1,080-carat Eva Star, and the 2,488-carat Motswedi, the largest diamond discovered in more than a century.
William Lamb, President and CEO, commented: “The recovery of our 10th diamond of over 1,000 carats is another extraordinary milestone for Karowe and further evidence of the unique nature of this world-class orebody.
“No diamond mine in history has consistently produced diamonds of this magnitude, and Karowe continues to hold its own on the world stage.
“While we cannot determine with certainty whether this diamond came from current pit production or previously stockpiled material, its recovery is another powerful reminder of the unique diamond population present within the Karowe ore body.
“Recovery of this nature strengthens our confidence in the exceptional value potential of the resource and the continued development of the Karowe underground project.”
