“Letseng continues to live up to its reputation as a unique producer of exceptional diamonds and the recovery of this remarkable 196 carat white diamond reinforces its position as one of the great mines in the diamond industry,” Gem Diamonds’ CEO, Clifford Elphick said.
The diamond was expected to achieve a substantial price per carat as preliminary examinations indicated that it was expected to produce top colour and top clarity polished diamonds.
Since Gem Diamonds’ acquisition of the Letseng mine in mid 2006, it has produced three of the world’s twenty largest recorded diamonds – the 603 carat Lesotho Promise, recovered in August 2006, which sold for $12.4m; the 493 carat Letseng Legacy, recovered in September 2007 which sold for $10.4m; and the 478 carat Light of Letseng, recovered in September 2008, which sold for $18.4m.
Source: SAPA