STORM Mountain Diamonds, that operates Kao Mine has recovered the biggest pink diamond ever to be found in Lesotho.
The 47.8 carats valuable stone was exhumed on April 25, according to the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mohale Ralikariki.
He toldMaseru Metroon Tuesday that the gem stone, which has since been exported to Belgium to be sold at the biggest diamond market in the world, was possibly the largest pink diamond to be mined in Lesotho.
“It’s a unique diamondexpected to go at a very high price,” he said. “The public will be informed at a later stage as to how much the diamond was sold for.”
Mr Ralikariki said the development was a significant recovery from the COVID-19 impact, adding that the mine had spent a lot of money operating under undesirable circumstances while striving to meet its targets.
“The money to be attained from this diamond is going to benefit the government in terms of royalties paid and the balance will be reserved to sustain the mine’s daily operations,” he said.
Storm Mountain Diamonds operates a kimberlite diamond mine in Kao, Butha-Buthe.
The kimberlite pipe is the largest in the country and the fourth largest in southern Africa. SMD is jointly owned by Namakwa Diamonds Limited and the Lesotho government.
“Geologists show that Lesotho diamonds formation dates back as far as hundred million years ago and we should give credit to our fellow Basotho workers at Kao who dug this historical treasure from the soils of the motherland,” Mr Ralikariki also said.
