Angola: Endiama announces discovery of 171-carat diamond in Lunda-Norte province

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Angola: Endiama announces discovery of 171-carat diamond in Lunda-Norte province

8:37 CAT | 11 May 2020

Photo: Australian Mining

The National Diamond Company of Angola (Endiama) on Monday announced the discovery of a 171-carat diamond at the Lulo mine in Lunda-Norte province, where the largest diamond ever found in Angola was also found.

“The white gem, extracted in block 6 of the mine, is the 15th of more than 100 carats recovered in Lulo, the 2nd of more than 100 carats exploited in 2020, and the 4th largest since the start of operations,” Endiama said in a statement.

Blocks 06 and 08 were responsible for producing 13 of the 15 stones with more than 100 carats leaving this mine, including the largest diamond ever found in Angola (2016), with 404.2 carats.

The Sociedade Mineira do Lulo, which operates the mine, is formed by Endiama, the Australian company Lucapa Diamond and Rosas e Pettalas.

Domingos Machado, chairman of the management board of Sociedade Mineira do Lulo, cited in the note, said that the company will focus its operations on blocks 06 and 08 and will intensify prospecting in the southern part of the concession, where, it seems, there is a greater propensity for the emergence of this type of stone.

Lucapa uncovers massive diamond shortly after Lulo mining recommences

Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered another 100-plus carat white diamond from the Lulo alluvial mine in Angola, central Africa.

The diamond is a 171 carat gem-quality white stone and is the second 100-plus carat diamond recovered for 2020.

It is also the 15th 100-plus carat diamond recovered from Lulo to date.

The discovery of the diamond, which is the fourth largest recovered at Lulo, was announced less than two weeks since Lucapa resumed scaled mining operations at the mine.

“The recovery of this 171 carat gem-quality white diamond continues to underpin the potential of the kimberlite exploration program as drilling of the high-priority kimberlites in the Canguige catchment continues,” Lucapa managing director Stephen Wetherall said.

The white diamond was recovered from mining block six, where five other 100-plus carat diamonds were previously unearthed.

Mining blocks six and eight have now produced 13 of the 15 100-plus carat diamonds recovered at Lulo. This includes Angola’s largest recorded gem, which is a 404 carat stone that was sold in 2016 for $US16 million ($24.5 million).

Diamond production at Lulo was commenced by Lucapa in 2015 through alluvial mining company Sociedade Mineira Do Lulo.

Lucapa has also partnered with Angola’s diamond company, Endiama and Rosas & Petalas, who both conduct Lulo’s kimberlite exploration through a separate joint venture.

Lucapa is the operator of both the alluvial mining and kimberlite exploration activities at Lulo.

Source: Lusa / Australian Mining