Firestone Diamonds says the recovery of a rare Type IIb blue diamond at its Liqhobong Mine in Lesotho confirms a diverse diamond assortment.
The company said 28 Type IIa diamonds were also found by its independent valuation consultants.
“The recovery of the rare Type II diamonds, as well as the increase in quality and the variety of colour, endorses the directors’ belief the Liqhobong resource contains significant upside, which will be fully realized once production is increased via a much larger, fit-for-purpose treatment plant,” said Firestone chief executive officer (CEO), Tim Wilkes.
“The increase in quality and the potential for very large stones to be recovered through an expanded treatment plant is extremely exciting and demonstrates the value the company is gaining from the current pilot plant operation.”
Firestone also said it recovered a 27-carat fragmented stone in September that appears to have come from a diamond weighing more than 200 carats. Since June 2011, the company says it has unearthed significant quantities of vivid and yellow fancy diamonds, two small, light pink diamonds, and a number of high-quality stones.
