PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diamond miner Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered an 89 ct yellow diamond from the current bulk sampling programme at its Mothae project, in Lesotho.
The bulk sampling programme is designed to expand and improve the current Mothae resource by processing areas of the kimberlite pipe which are either not included in the resource, or where Lucapa believes there has been significant historical sampling.
AdvertisementThe yellow diamond was recovered in the first few days of processing kimberlite, Lucapa said.
MD Stephen Wetherall said on Friday that the recovery of such a large diamond so early in the bulk sampling programme provided further proof that, like the Letseng mine, Mothae was another source of large diamonds.
Advertisement“Having recently recovered a 25 ct yellow diamond from the previously untested neck zone in our bulk sampling programme, we are tremendously encouraged that this 89 ct diamond was recovered from the south-east zone, an area of the Mothae kimberlite pipe where there has been very little historical testing.
“This underlines our belief in Mothae. It also vindicates Lucapa’s decision to commit resources to the additional bulk sampling programme as construction of our new 150 t/h commercial diamond plant continues on schedule for commissioning in the second half of this year.”