Alrosa Digs Up 263ct. Rough from Mayat Mine

Alrosa has unearthed a 262.5-carat, high-quality diamond from the Ebelyakh deposit of its Mayat mine in Yakutia — the second-largest stone of its caliber found in Russia in the past 10 years. 

The rough was discovered by workers from Alrosa subsidiary Almazy Anabara during the diamond-washing stage, Alrosa said Monday. The new find was recovered from the same deposit that turned up a 390.7-carat diamond last year. That stone became the largest gem-quality diamond in Russia in a decade. 

Alrosa has sent the diamond for expert testing, it noted. 

“The Ebelyakh alluvial deposit is famous for its exceptionally rare colored and large diamonds that have gained worldwide fame,” said Alrosa CEO Pavel Marinychev. “In 2017, the most expensive diamond in the history of Russia was mined here — a 27.85-carat, pure pink diamond, from which the Spirit of the Rose was subsequently cut. The discovery of another record-breaking diamond at the same deposit in less than a year [from the recovery of the 390.7-carat stone] is a rare occurrence and, undoubtedly, a great success for the Russian diamond-mining industry.” 

Separately, Alrosa announced it had signed a deal with Russia’s VTB Bank, whereby VTB will include Alrosa’s goods as investment diamonds across its entire network, the miner said last week. 

“Initially, the procedure for purchasing investment diamonds was only possible in Alrosa offices, which held back sales in the regions,” said Dmitry Breitenbicher, senior vice president of VTB. “Now we have restructured the sales process — the purchase is available on the bank’s premises in all offices of the premium network. This will allow us to meet the growing demand for our joint product from wealthy clients.” 

The companies began testing in-house sales at VTB at the start of the year. Since then, the bank has made approximately 50 transactions, it said. In the first half of 2024, sales of investment diamonds at VTB doubled compared to the same period a year earlier, according to Alrosa deputy CEO Sergey Barsukov. 

Image: The 262.5-carat rough diamond. (Alrosa)