Rough diamonds from Mothae fetch US$3.5 million in Antwerp

Lucapa Diamond Company and the Government of Lesotho have announced results from the second tender in 2019 of diamonds from the new Mothae kimberlite mine in Lesotho.

The parcel of 7,008 carats of rough diamonds sold at tender in Antwerp for a total of US$3.5 million.

The tender included prices of up to US$26,000 per carat paid for individual Mothae gems.

Lucapa MD, Stephen Wetherall, says the latest tender results continued to underline Mothae’s status as one of a select few global mines capable of producing high-value diamonds on a consistent basis.

“We continue to be encouraged by the regular recovery of Specials and sales results achieved from the supposed lower-margin areas of the Mothae kimberlite pipe,” says Wetherall.

“These results add to the excitement as our mining campaign prepares to transition to the higher margin diamond zones in the main southern pit in H2 once the water is transferred to our main dam to ensure we have appropriate water supplies for our planned increased treatment rates during the dry months.”

The latest result brings to US$7.3 million the total sale proceeds generated from the two tenders of Mothae diamonds completed this year.

This represents an average overall price of US$588 per carat for the run of mine production and US$729 per carat for diamonds in the +11 sieve
size fraction.

Lucapa is considering a third tender in H1, 2019 following the continued strong recoveries from the new 1.1 Mtpa kimberlite plant, including the 126 carat gem-quality diamond recovered earlier this month and other Type IIa Specials.

As set out in the ASX announcement of 27 May 2019, mining has been restricted predominantly to the lower-margin diamond zones since commercial production commenced at Mothae in January

This due to the decision to delay the scheduled dewatering of the main southern pit to preserve water required to enable the plant to operate at higher throughput rates in H2 2019.

The water in the southern pit will be transferred to the main 500,000 m3 water dam in H2, 2019 when the dam wall is completed.

This will in turn enable Mothae to access the higher-margin diamond zones in the southern pit.

Source: DCLA

Rough diamonds from Mothae fetch US$3.5 million in Antwerp

Lucapa Diamond Company and the Government of Lesotho have announced results from the second tender in 2019 of diamonds from the new Mothae kimberlite mine in Lesotho.

The parcel of 7,008 carats of rough diamonds sold at tender in Antwerp for a total of US$3.5 million.

The tender included prices of up to US$26,000 per carat paid for individual Mothae gems.

Lucapa MD, Stephen Wetherall, says the latest tender results continued to underline Mothae’s status as one of a select few global mines capable of producing high-value diamonds on a consistent basis.

“We continue to be encouraged by the regular recovery of Specials and sales results achieved from the supposed lower-margin areas of the Mothae kimberlite pipe,” says Wetherall.

“These results add to the excitement as our mining campaign prepares to transition to the higher margin diamond zones in the main southern pit in H2 once the water is transferred to our main dam to ensure we have appropriate water supplies for our planned increased treatment rates during the dry months.”

The latest result brings to US$7.3 million the total sale proceeds generated from the two tenders of Mothae diamonds completed this year.

This represents an average overall price of US$588 per carat for the run of mine production and US$729 per carat for diamonds in the +11 sieve
size fraction.

Lucapa is considering a third tender in H1, 2019 following the continued strong recoveries from the new 1.1 Mtpa kimberlite plant, including the 126 carat gem-quality diamond recovered earlier this month and other Type IIa Specials.

As set out in the ASX announcement of 27 May 2019, mining has been restricted predominantly to the lower-margin diamond zones since commercial production commenced at Mothae in January

This due to the decision to delay the scheduled dewatering of the main southern pit to preserve water required to enable the plant to operate at higher throughput rates in H2 2019.

The water in the southern pit will be transferred to the main 500,000 m3 water dam in H2, 2019 when the dam wall is completed.

This will in turn enable Mothae to access the higher-margin diamond zones in the southern pit.

Source: DCLA

Pink Diamond fetches $2.2M USD Per carat at Christie’s

A pink diamond ring named for its resemblance to bubble gum fetched $7.5 million at Christie’s Hong Kong auction.

The exceptional fancy vivid purplish pink internally flawless brilliant cut cushion, Sold for $2.2 million per carat.

The ring was designed by Moussaieff and features the Cushion weighing 3.43 carats diamond as well as pear shaped pink diamonds and marquise cut white diamonds.

The estimated was $6 million to $8 million.

The ring was the top selling lot at the Magnificent Jewels sale.

Source: DCLA

Pink Diamond fetches $2.2M USD Per carat at Christie’s

A pink diamond ring named for its resemblance to bubble gum fetched $7.5 million at Christie’s Hong Kong auction.

The exceptional fancy vivid purplish pink internally flawless brilliant cut cushion, Sold for $2.2 million per carat.

The ring was designed by Moussaieff and features the Cushion weighing 3.43 carats diamond as well as pear shaped pink diamonds and marquise cut white diamonds.

The estimated was $6 million to $8 million.

The ring was the top selling lot at the Magnificent Jewels sale.

Source: DCLA

Undisclosed Green Synthetics Raise GIA Eyebrows

Twenty five undisclosed lab grown diamonds have turned up at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) including several with a rare greenish color.

The GIA’s lab in Carlsbad, California, recently received the stones weighing from 0.46 to 0.52 carats for grading reports. They all proved to have been created using High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT), GIA senior research scientist Sally Eaton Magaña explained in a lab note published in the Spring 2019 issue of Gems & Gemology, the institute’s quarterly scientific journal.

While nine of the stones were colorless or near-colorless, eight had faint yellow green color, seven were faint green, and one was very light green. The coloring resulted from a high concentration of nickel, an impurity that’s common in HPHT, but rarely in large enough amounts to affect the color, Eaton Magaña explained. (In diamonds at large, nickel can cause a green hue.) GIA gemologists previously reported on a fancy deep yellowish green HPHT diamond in 2017, with nickel also the cause in that case.

“As laboratory grown diamond manufacturers continue to experiment with their recipes and the process further evolves, we will likely see greater quantities and a wider variety of color ranges,” Eaton Magaña wrote. The occasion also gave a rare opportunity to analyze a large dataset of similar but unusually colored HPHT diamonds, she noted.

The Spring edition of Gems & Gemology also reported on a natural diamond with a synthetic layer the second such case the GIA had seen in about two years.

Source: DCLA

Undisclosed Green Synthetics Raise GIA Eyebrows

Twenty five undisclosed lab grown diamonds have turned up at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) including several with a rare greenish color.

The GIA’s lab in Carlsbad, California, recently received the stones weighing from 0.46 to 0.52 carats for grading reports. They all proved to have been created using High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT), GIA senior research scientist Sally Eaton Magaña explained in a lab note published in the Spring 2019 issue of Gems & Gemology, the institute’s quarterly scientific journal.

While nine of the stones were colorless or near-colorless, eight had faint yellow green color, seven were faint green, and one was very light green. The coloring resulted from a high concentration of nickel, an impurity that’s common in HPHT, but rarely in large enough amounts to affect the color, Eaton Magaña explained. (In diamonds at large, nickel can cause a green hue.) GIA gemologists previously reported on a fancy deep yellowish green HPHT diamond in 2017, with nickel also the cause in that case.

“As laboratory grown diamond manufacturers continue to experiment with their recipes and the process further evolves, we will likely see greater quantities and a wider variety of color ranges,” Eaton Magaña wrote. The occasion also gave a rare opportunity to analyze a large dataset of similar but unusually colored HPHT diamonds, she noted.

The Spring edition of Gems & Gemology also reported on a natural diamond with a synthetic layer the second such case the GIA had seen in about two years.

Source: DCLA

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