Lucara Diamond Corp. just announced the recovery of a suite of impressive rough stones from its prolific Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana. The two largest stones tipped the scales at 320 carats and 111 carats, respectively, while two smaller stones each weighed in at 50+ carats.
These finds continue to bolster Karowe's reputation as one of the world's primary sources for large, high-quality diamonds.
Of the largest 12 diamonds ever discovered, six were sourced at the Karowe Mine. Karowe's newsworthy finds include the 1,758-carat Sewelô (2019), 1,174-carat Lucara Diamond (2021), 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona (2015), 1080-carat unnamed (2023) and the 998-carat unnamed (2020).
Described as a gem-quality top light brown diamond, the recent 320-carat discovery ranks 65th on Wikipedia's List of the Largest Rough Diamonds.
The 111-carat diamond and two 50-plus-carat gems are classified as white, gem-quality Type IIa stones. (The Type IIa classification represents a colorless diamond with no measurable impurities. Type IIa gems account for less than 2% of all natural diamonds.)
These diamonds were recovered from the direct milling of kimberlite ore from Karowe's South Lobe during a recent production run that included numerous additional recoveries of high-value diamonds larger than 10.8 carats.
Lucara’s MDR (Mega Diamond Recovery) XRT circuit uses advanced technology to identify 100-carat-plus diamonds. By monitoring the rocky material for X-ray luminescence, atomic density and transparency, the new technology can identify and isolate large diamonds before they go through the destructive crushing process.
"These diamond recoveries from the… South Lobe further validate the quality and potential of the Karowe Diamond Mine," noted William Lamb, president and CEO of Lucara Diamond Corp. "We are thrilled with the consistent success we continue to achieve in uncovering large, high-value diamonds, reaffirming Lucara's position as a leading producer of large high-quality gem diamonds.
A 25-year deal secured with the Government of Botswana in 2021 paved the way for Lucara to move forward with Karowe's underground expansion, a move that willl ensure the mine will continue to turn out high-value rough diamonds through 2046.
Credit: Image courtesy of Lucara Diamond Corp.