Lucara Diamond Corporation in a press release dated January 26, 2021, just 12 days after the announcment of the recovery of the first large rough diamond for the year, the 341-carat top white, gem-quality diamond, on January 14, 2021, announced the surprising recovery of a second +300-carat gem-quality, top white diamond, from their 100% owned Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana. The rough diamond is the 55th over 200-carat diamond to be recovered from the mine, since the year 2015.
The second recovery is a magnifiient unbroken Type Iia, 378-carat, gem-quality, top-white diamond also recovered from milling of ore sourced from the M/PK(S) unit of the southwestwern quadrant of the South Lobe, renowned for the recovery of large gem-quality diamonds. Both the 378 carat and the 341 carat diamonds were recovered from the Coarse XRT circuit. The second recovery this year is a further testament to the strong resource and process circuit performance at Karowe.
Lucara’s CEO, Eira Thomas, commenting on the second recovery for the year 2021, said, “This superb 378-carat diamond is our second +300 carat recovery so far this year, marking a strong early start to 2021. The 378-carat joins a rare and special lineage of exceptional, high value diamonds recovered at Karowe and continues to highlight the wonderful diamond potential of Botswana. Continued and consistent recovery of large diamonds, such as the 378-carat and 341-carat stones, comes at a critical time and provides continued strength and additional foundation to the opportunity to finance and build the underground expansion at Karowe that will see mining continue for at least another 13 years after the open-pit ceases operations iin 2026. We look forward to a safe, productive and busy 2021.”