Gem Diamonds has unearthed a 145.55-carat rough diamond from its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, marking the ninth stone over 100 carats found this year.
The high-quality, type II diamond was discovered on August 3, the company announced on Wednesday. This follows the recovery of a 123.20-carat and a 172.06-carat diamond in June, and a 212.49-carat stone in May.
Additionally, in April, Gem Diamonds extracted two type IIa diamonds weighing 169.15 and 118.74 carats, and in January, it retrieved a high-value, 295-carat, type IIa white diamond.
These significant finds come after several years of fewer large stone discoveries from Letšeng. In 2023 and 2022, the company found only four diamonds over 100 carats each year, and six in 2021.
This year’s tally suggests Gem Diamonds may meet or exceed the 16 stones over 100 carats recovered in 2020.
In May, Gem Diamonds reported a 17% year-on-year increase in revenue to $43 million for the first quarter, driven by higher demand for rough diamonds and a greater proportion of large stones available. The company is set to report its second-quarter results next week.
