Gem Resources PLC (LSE:GEMR) has kicked off hard rock mining at its Gravelotte Emerald Mine in South Africa, with early signs pointing to strong emerald recoveries and consistent production despite weather-related delays.
The London-listed miner said operations at the Cobra Pit, one of two historically productive open pits at Gravelotte, began in late January.
This follows a key upgrade to its processing plant at the end of last year, which has since been running steadily at up to 100 tonnes a day.
The company reported that emeralds extracted from the newly exposed ore zone at Cobra show promising quality, colour and clarity, with geological features matching historical records.
"Our entry into hard rock mining at Cobra has begun with great promise," said chairman Ed Nealon.
"The performance of the upgraded plant and the consistency of emerald recoveries-despite challenging weather-highlight the effectiveness of the systems we've put in place. While 2024 was a year of groundwork, we are now firmly into the delivery phase.
"We look forward to progressing to our first trial sale and demonstrating to shareholders the commercial potential of Gravelotte."
The pit is part of a wider deposit that independent studies estimate contains around 29 million carats.
Gem Resources has been developing the site since restarting operations in 2024, first processing material from old tailings and surface dumps.
Those early efforts were meant to culminate in a trial sale via Bonas Group last September, but export delays to Thailand meant the sale was pushed back.
Since shifting to hard rock mining, output has remained stable through February and March, even as seasonal rains hampered activity. The company says the early success of the new ore zone strengthens its confidence in Gravelotte’s long-term potential.
A first emerald sale is still on the cards, and Gem Resources plans to release more details soon. It also said it would provide an update shortly on preparations at its Curlew Emerald Project in Western Australia, where activity is set to resume as the weather improves.