Lucapa recovers “exceptional” 64 carat diamond at Mothae in Lesotho

Lucapa Diamond Company and the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho have announced the recovery of an exceptional 64-carat diamond from the Mothae kimberlite mine’s higher margin zones in the southern pit.

Lucapa Managing Director Stephen Wetherall said the Type IIa D-colour gem is considered the best individual diamond yet recovered from Mothae, further underlining its status as a source of large and premium-value stones.

Back in May, Lucapa recovered a 126-carat diamond from the same mine. That is the largest gem the miner has found at the Lesotho-based project, which is a joint venture between Lucapa (70%) and the Lesotho government (30%).

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Perth-based Lucapa acquired Mothae back in 2017 with commercial production beginning in December last year, via a new 1.1 million tonne-per-year plant which is progressively ramping up. The mine is currently expected to yield 22,000 carats per year.