:: Nare Diamonds Recovers 66,6ct Gem at SA Mine

Australian-based diamond exploration and development company Nare Diamonds recovered a 66,6 ct stone at its Schmidtsdrift mine, in South Africa.

It said in a statement on Tuesday that the diamond was a white octahedron with a I-colour classification and that it was expected to yield a high value.

The Schmidtsdrift mine - owned by Nare Diamonds (80%) and the Schmidtsdrift Communal Property Association (20%) - is the company’s leading project, comprising six contiguous farms along the western bank of the Vaal River, with a combined area of 320 km2.

Since the company started operations last April, the Schmidtsdrift mine has produced 7 624,25 ct of diamonds from 1,2-million tons at an average grade of 0,63 ct a hundred tons.

To date, 206 stones in excess of five carats have been recovered, including a rare 235 ct stone, two 66 ct stones and 24 stones of between 15 ct and 40 ct.