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Home Β» Blog – The Diamond Blog Β» MASSIVE FINDS AND OFFERS SIGNAL RISING FORTUNES FOR ROUGH DIAMOND MARKET
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Australia-headquartered Lucapa Diamond announced June that it has uncovered an 89-carat yellow diamondΒ at its 70 percent-owned Mothae mine in Lesotho, during a bulk sampling program at the site.
The companyβs managing director, Stephen Wetherall, said the recovery of such a large diamond so early in the productive life of the facility provided further proof that, just like the neighboring LetΕ‘eng mine, Mothae is likely to become another source of exceptionally large diamonds.
The 89-carat yellow diamond discovered earlier this year at the new Mothae mine in Lesotho. (Photo courtesy of Lucapa)
The 95-caratΒ diamond from Canadaβs Gahcho Kue mine. (Photo courtesy of MountainΒ Province)
114.2-CARAT DIAMOND FROM SIERRA LEONE GOING TO MARKET
Then, just last week, a Sierra Leone company announced that it has obtained and exported a 144.12-carat rough diamond. The news broke after a licensed diamond exporter brought the stone to the precious-minerals trading department of the National Minerals Agency week for valuation.
The massive, which has been estimated to be worth in excess of $640,000, will be exported for sale abroad, and not put out for tender on the local market, the Sierra Leone government authority stated.
Also reflecting the buoyant rough diamond market, Russiaβs rough diamond minIng company Alrosa reported that it has sold 121 stones, all larger than 10.8 carats, for more than $17 million at an auction in Vladivostok in June. According to a company statement, the diamonds had a total weighed of about 2,000 carats, and had fetched an average price of $8,500 per carat, moreΒ than one and a half times their original asking price.
The 114.12-carat rough diamond from Sierra Leone that shortly will be sold outside of the country.