Image credit: Gem Diamonds
Gem Diamonds has recovered a 163 carat yellow type 1 diamond at its Letšeng mine, in Lesotho.
The company said in a tweet that the diamond with no breakage was unearthed on 24 June.
Production at Letšeng dropped 12% to 26 110 carats in the first quarter of the year from the previous quarter’s 29 768 carats.
Mining and treatment volumes were impacted during the period primarily by drill rig availability issues, testing of different blasting parameters, additional maintenance to the tertiary cone crusher and scrubber drive-arrangement in plant 2.
Mining and treatment volumes were also impacted as a result of the lockdown and the placing of the mine temporarily on care and maintenance which commenced on 28 March 2020.
Gem Diamonds, however, recommenced mining operations at Letšeng on 27 April after Maseru permitted the re-opening of diamond mines in the country, previously subjected to a lockdown order.
The company recently reported that it realised an average dollar per carat of $1,707 in the first half of 2020 compared to $1,687 per carat, a year earlier.
At least 15 diamonds were sold in the first half of 2020 for more than $1 million each and one diamond for over $5 million.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
