Another huge diamond unearthed in Lesotho mine

Cecilia Jamasmie | July 6, 2017 | 3:15 am Africa Europe Diamond

The Letšeng Legacy, discovered in 2007, is currently ranked as one of the largest rough white diamonds ever recovered. The 493-carat rock was sold at an auction in Antwerp for US$10.4 million in November that year. (Image courtesy of Gem Diamonds.)

Africa-focused Gem Diamonds (LON:GEMD) unveiled Thursday a 126-carat rock unearthed at its flagship Letšeng mine in Lesotho, the latest in a string of major discoveries at the operation this year.

The finding of the high quality D colour Type IIa diamond comes barely a month after the company discovered two massive diamonds at the same mine — a 151.52-carat Type I yellow rock and a high quality 104.73-carat, D-colour Type IIa stone.

It also follows the recovery of a 114-carat diamond in April and an 80-carat, D-colour Type-II diamond found in May — one of the highest-quality diamonds to come out of the Letšeng mine.

Type IIa diamonds contain very little or no nitrogen atoms, which places them among the most expensive stones.

Since acquiring Letšeng in 2006, Gem Diamonds has found four of the 20 largest white gem quality diamonds ever recovered, which makes of the mine the world’s highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond operation.

At an average elevation of 3,100 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level, Letšeng is also one of the world’s highest diamond mines.