Lucara Diamond Corp. reported in mid-November the recovery of a 1,111-carat, gem-quality diamond at its Karowe mine in Botswana. The stone, which originated from the south lobe of the Karowe mine, is reportedly the world’s second-largest gem-quality diamond ever recovered and the largest ever to be recovered through a modern processing facility. It measures 65 mm x 56 mm x 40 mm.
The largest diamond ever discovered was the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, found near Pretoria, South Africa, in 1905.
The Lucara stone was recovered by one of the company’s newly installed, large diamond recovery X-ray transmission (XRT) machines.
Lucara President and CEO William Lamb said, “This historic diamond recovery puts Lucara and the Karowe mine among a select number of truly exceptional diamond producers. The significance of the recovery of a gem quality stone larger than 1,000 carats, the largest for more than a century, and the continued recovery of high-quality stones from the Karowe south lobe, cannot be overstated. Our focus on mining the south lobe, which is delivering value beyond expectation, has been perfectly timed with the commissioning of our recent plant modifications, enabling the recovery of these large, high-quality exceptional diamonds.”
Lucara followed up the announcement of the 1,111-carat stone a day later with an announcement that it had recovered two more exceptional white stones through the XRT recovery units, an 813-carat stone and a 374-carat stone.
