Lucara finds 1,111-carat diamond in Botswana mine

Diamond producer Lucara has announced the recovery of a 1,111 carat gem quality, Type IIa diamond.

The magnificent stone, which originated from the south lobe of Lucara’s Karowe Mine, is the world’s second largest gem quality diamond ever recovered and the largest ever to be recovered through a modern processing facility.

The stone was recovered by the newly installed Large Diamond Recovery (“LDR”) XRT machines, measuring 65mm x 56mm x 40mm in size, and is the largest ever to be recovered in Botswana.

William Lamb, president and CEO, said: “This historic diamond recovery puts Lucara and the Karowe mine amongst 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 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.”

Just a day later, an 813 carat stone and a 374 carat stone were recovered from the same mine. The weights of the stones are subject to change as they have not yet been cleaned.

William Lamb, president and CEO, said: “I am truly at a loss for words. This has been an amazing week for Lucara with the recovery of the second largest and also the sixth largest gem quality diamonds ever mined. We are truly blessed by this amazing asset.”