Lucapa recovers eighth diamond larger than 100 ct from Angola

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Lucapa Diamond Company and its partners Empresa Nacional de Diamantes, better know as Endiama, and Rosas & Petalas have recovered a high-value 129.58 ct diamond from the Lulo project, in Angola.
 
The diamond was recovered from alluvial mining block six along with another large high-value diamond weighing 78.61 ct.

Testing on a Yehuda colorimeter has confirmed that both diamonds are premium Type IIa D-colour gems.

Lucapa MD Stephen Wetherall on Monday said the latest large gem-quality diamond recoveries reinforced the extraordinary nature of the Lulo diamond field and its potential to yield large diamonds.
 
“This is the eighth [diamond larger than] 100 ct the Lulo partners have recovered to date and the seventh in just two-and-a-half years of commercial mining from relatively low throughout rates,” he said. 
 
He added that explosive and erosive geological forces have deposited the rare and valuable diamonds in a relatively localised area at Lulo.
 
“We continue to systematically advance our efforts to locate that primary diamond source with an ongoing drilling programme funded from the strong returns being generated from the Lulo alluvial mining operations,” he noted.
 
Having started with a list of more than 200 anomalies, the Lulo partners are now working through a list of 70 prioritised drilling targets, systematically eliminating low-interest kimberlites.
 
“We continue to assess ways to speed up this systematic drilling and sampling programme, an approach we believe provides the best opportunity to unlock Lulo’s true value.”