Lucara Diamond said about 33,500 carats of diamonds were recovered at the end of May from 85,000 tonnes of ore processed at its 100 percent-owned Karowe Mine, in Botswana.
Lucara’s Ribson Gabonowe told a mining conference, in Gaborone that they recorded a grade of 40.11 carats per hundred tones (cpht).
He said the mine production plan for the remainder of 2012 included ore from the North and Centre Lobes and would deliver an average ore grade of approximately 20cpht.
Gabonowe also said that the company had conducted its first auction from the mine early this month.
A total of 35 individual lots containing 29,339 carats of diamond were put up for sale through the on-line auction.
Of the 35 lots, 30 were sold for total revenue of $5.64 million at an average diamond value of $215/ct.
Ramp-up to full production was making good progress with the primary focus being on early development of the mine dewatering systems.
The weathered nature of the ore currently being processed required more water than anticipated during project evaluation.
Plans were currently being executed to advance the installation of additional pumps to ensure sustainable water provision to support the ramp-up activities.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished, from Gaborone
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