Lucara Recovers its 10th Diamond over 1,000cts
July 19, 26
(IDEX Online) - Lucara has recovered a 1,305.4 carat diamond from its Karowe mine, in Botswana - its 10th stone over 1,000 carats since full-scale open‑pit mining started in 2012.
The diamond was unbroken, thanks to the Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) machines that scan large ore fractions before they reach the main crushing stages.
Without XRT, the chances are high that a stone of this size would have been broken.
William Lamb, Lucara's president and CEO, said: "The recovery of our tenth diamond exceeding 1,000 carats is another extraordinary milestone for Karowe and further demonstrates the singular nature of this world-class orebody."
He said it reinforced the company's confidence in the value potential of the resource and the continued development of the underground project at Karowe, designed to extend the mine life until at least 2038.
Among the diamonds over 1,000 carats recovered at Karowe over the last 14 years are , 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.
Pic courtesy Lucara shows the 1,305.4 carat diamond from Karowe.