Gem Diamonds has recovered a number of large, high-quality stones at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, all found in the first week after production resumed following the COVID-19 lockdown.
They include a 60-carat, light-yellow, type I diamond, and three D-color, white, type II diamonds weighing 87, 66 and 23 carats, the company said Monday. It also found several diamonds over 10.8 carats.
Between February and March, the miner unearthed four white diamonds weighing 88, 56, 53 and 33 carats. It has also retrieved two diamonds over 100 carats so far this year, and a 13.33-carat pink.
Gem Diamonds restarted production at Letšeng last week after the government allowed the mining sector to reopen following an extended shutdown. Lesotho remains on lockdown until May 5.
Source: Diamonds.net
Gem Diamonds has recovered a 135 carat yellow at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, the third significant colored-diamond discovery at the deposit this year.
The company retrieved the high quality, type I stone on June 21, three months after the mine yielded a similar quality yellow diamond weighing 134 carats. Those discoveries follow a two year gap in the recovery of yellow diamonds weighing more than 100 carats from Letšeng. In June 2017, the miner found a 151.52 carat yellow.
Africa focused Gem Diamonds must be getting used to recovering huge precious rocks from its flagship Letšeng mine in Lesotho, as it has just dug up another massive one.
The 138 carat, top white colour Type IIa diamond is 12th diamond over 100 carats the company finds this year, beating the 11 it dug up in 2015.
The largest diamond found this year is a 910 carat D colour type IIa diamond, about the size of two golf balls, which was named the “Lesotho Legend.” It became the second largest recovered in the past century and sold for $40 million at an auction in March.
Since acquiring Letšeng in 2006, Gem Diamonds has found now five of the 20 largest white gem quality diamonds ever recovered, which makes the mine the world’s highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond operation.
At an average elevation of 3,100 metres above sea level, Letšeng is also one of the world’s highest diamond mines.
The biggest diamond ever found was the 3,106 carat Cullinan, dug near Pretoria, South Africa, in 1905. It was later cut into several stones, including the First Star of Africa and the Second Star of Africa, which are part of Britain’s Crown Jewels held in the Tower of London.
Lucara’s 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona was the second biggest in record, while the 995 carat Excelsior and 969 carat Star of Sierra Leone were the third and fourth largest.
Source: mining.com
Gem Diamonds has recovered another 100 carat plus rough diamond this year.
The recovery of the D colour type IIa stone shortly after the recovery of a 910 carat D colour IIa rough diamond from Letšeng last week.
Gem Diamonds began extracting ore from a higher grade part of Letšeng last year, resulting in the increase of large stones.
Gem Diamonds Letseng mine is located in the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa.
Gem Diamonds has recovered a 910 carat rough diamond at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, the fifth largest rough ever found.
The D colour type IIa diamond is the largest to be unearthed at Letšeng, outranking the 603 carat Lesotho Promise recovered in 2006.
That stone was sold for $12.4 million, to Graff Diamonds, which owns a 15% stake in Gem Diamonds.
Last year, Graff bought the 1,109 carat Lesedi la Rona, the second largest rough diamond in history, for $53 million, or $47,790 per carat.
The discovery follows a recent revival of exceptionally large stones recovered at Letšeng, which is known for its high value production.
Diamond Miner Gem Diamonds has found a 202 carat rough diamond at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, Sothern Africa. The rough diamond is the latest of seven recovered over 100 carats this year.
The D colour type IIa diamond was recovered when they mine switched to the higher grade K6 section of the main pipe earlier this year.
The Letšeng mine is one of the highest diamond deposits by value in the world with the an average price of $2,397 per carat for the July tender.
