BlueRock Diamonds PLC (LON:BRD) has announced the recovery of an exceptional 8.97-carat diamond on Friday 1 February from its Kareevlei mine in the Kimberley region of South Africa.
The AIM-listed diamond producer, which owns and operates the mine, pointed out that this will be the third stone independently valued in excess of $50,000 recovered from Kareevlei.
WATCH: BlueRock Diamonds' Adam Waugh hails exceptional 8.97 carat diamond
It noted that the two previous record value stones were a 7.76 carat stone recovered in 2017 and sold for $10,070 per carat and a 10.58 carat stone recovered in 2018 and sold for $7,047 per carat.
Adam Waugh, BlueRock's CEO commented, "The 8.97 carat stone recovered on Friday 1st February, along with two other high-quality 6.36 carat and 3.64-carat diamonds, reinforces the exceptional quality being produced at Kareevlei."
The discovery came days after the recommencement of operations at Kareevlei after the lifting of a temporary suspension of operations imposed by the country’s mining regulator following an accident at the mine.