Lucapa Unearths 235ct. Rough from Lulo Mine

Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered a 235-carat rough from its Lulo mine in Angola, the second largest the deposit has ever yielded.

The miner discovered the high-quality, type IIa diamond from its Mining Block 550 portion of the site, which is just south of Mining Block 19, an area that has produced eight diamonds over 100 carats. These include a 123-carat rough it found at the beginning of October. The new find is the 40th stone over 100 carats since mining at the site commenced in 2015, Lucapa said Wednesday.

The miner also retrieved a 208-carat rough from Lulo at the end of October.

“Lulo continues to demonstrate it is a prolific producer of large diamonds,” said Lucapa managing director Nick Selby. “To unearth three plus-100-carat diamonds — with two being over 200 carats — in such a short space of time from different areas of the concession makes us more determined to find the primary source, by dedicating even more resources to the exploration program.”

Lucapa expects to offer the 235-carat rough in a special tender organized by Angola’s national diamond-trading company, Sodiam, later this month, it noted. That sale will also include the 208- and 123-carat diamonds.