Stellar Diamonds Recovers 55-Carat Diamond From Guinea Mine
January 25, 16
(IDEX Online News) – Stellar Diamonds plc has announced it has recovered a 55.64-carat diamond from its Baoulé kimberlite in Guinea.
The stone is the largest yet recovered from Baoulé. It is thought to be unusual because of an apparent low-quality coating that may mask a higher quality diamond within its interior.
Stellar’s trial mining of the kimberlite pipe has yielded a total of 8,043 carats to date – at an average grade of 12.7 carats per hundred tons (cpht).
The company believes that the kimberlite is a source of large stones, having already recovered several gem quality diamonds of more than 12 carats.
“We are extremely encouraged to have recovered this 55-carat stone as it confirms that the Baoulé pipe is a possible source of the large diamonds which have been mined in alluvial deposits downstream…for many years, several of which have been 100+ carats in size,” said Stellar chief executive Karl Smithson.