Canadian miner discovers 127-carat diamond
by carly_midgley | January 11, 2019 3:49 pm
[1]Photo courtesy Lucara Diamond
A 127-carat diamond has been found at a Canadian-run mine in Botswana.
The gem was discovered at the Karowe[2] mine, which is operated by Vancouver-based Lucara Diamond[3]. It joins a roster of 129 diamonds larger than 100 carats that have been found at the mine since production began in 2012.
“The recovery of this latest high-value, top white, 127-carat diamond attests to the remarkable nature of the Karowe ore body, which has consistently delivered large, high-value diamonds throughout its history,” said Eira Thomas, CEO of Lucara.
In 2018, 33 diamonds exceeding 100 carats were found at Karowe. Of these, five weighed more than 300 carats. A total of 12 diamonds larger than 300 carats have been uncovered there over the mine’s lifetime.
Also since production began, Lucara has sold 180 Karowe diamonds for prices exceeding $1 million, and 10 for more than $10 million.
It intends to continue developing the operation to support the recovery of more sizeable diamonds.
“In 2019, mining will largely be focused on the high-value south lobe, including contributions from the newly refined EMPKS unit, which is now understood to be the source of both the historic 1109-carat Lesedi la Rona[4] and the 813-carat Constellation[5], which sold for a record US$63.1 million,” added Thomas.
- [Image]: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/127ct.jpg
- Karowe: https://www.lucaradiamond.com/mine-operations-and-exploration/karowe-mine-summary
- Lucara Diamond: https://www.lucaradiamond.com/
- Lesedi la Rona: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/1109-carat-diamond-expected-to-sell-for-70-million-plus/
- Constellation: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/processing-worlds-expensive-rough-diamond/
Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/canadian-miner-discovers-127-carat-diamond/