Striker Recovers Diamonds From Merlin, Yellow Stones Found

Striker Resources NL has announced the recovery of the first diamonds from reprocessing of the Merlin sorthouse tailings in Australia, saying there was evidence of yellow diamonds at the mine.

Striker, to be renamed North Australian Diamonds Ltd, said the largest diamonds recovered were a 1.39 carat yellow gem, which was a fragment from a larger stone; a 1.11 carat white irregular; a 0.33 carat gray cube; and a 0.25 carat white octahedron.

Tailings, or gangue, are the rejected material from mining and screening operations, often regarded as uneconomic remainders from mining.

“The early recovery of diamonds in this size range is in line with expectations, and the recovery of a gem quality yellow non-fluorescing diamond is further evidence of the presence of a yellow diamond population at Merlin,” Striker said.

“There has been no previous significant production of these yellow diamonds from Merlin. Yellow gem quality diamonds can often command higher prices.”

Sorting of the coarse fraction concentrates began this week and the fine fraction concentrates will undergo additional upgrading prior to sorting.

Stage 1 development of Merlin involves the reprocessing, over a period of four months starting last month, of up to 10,000 tons of sorthouse tailings estimated to contain more than 50,000 carats of diamonds.

Striker has said that Merlin is on track to become Australia's third diamond producer. It expects to produce at least 70,000 carats from the mine over the next 12 months and at least 250,000 carats in the next two years with an inferred and indicated resource of 3.3 million carats at the Merlin mine.