The L028 sample of 2,192 bulked m3 was processed through the Lulo alluvial plant and the largest stone recovered was a 0.93 carat white diamond with the largest Type IIa diamond recovered weighing 0.59 carats.
Image credit: Lucapa Diamond (from left to right): 0.93, 0.59, 0.49, 0.41 and 0.30 carat diamonds recovered from L028 kimberlite bulk sample
Lucapa also said that eight of the 13 stones recovered were classified by a Yehuda Colorimeter as Type IIa diamonds.
“Kimberlite L028 has returned a diamondiferous result containing an unusually high proportion of rare Type IIa diamonds,” Lucapa managing director Stephen Wetherall.
“This is a particularly important outcome considering the recoveries in the adjacent high-priced Mining Block 46 and highlights the significance of our current focus in the Canguige catchment as we work to discover a primary source.”
He said the company and its partners will continue with their methodical exploration approach as they bulk sample the remaining priority kimberlites and targets in the Canguige catchment.
The L028 sample represents the highest number of diamonds recovered from any of the kimberlites sampled in the Canguige catchment to date and follows on from the results obtained in the alluvial sample taken from the Canguige river in 2020, where 1,865 cubic metres of gravel yielded 30.3 carats of diamonds.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
