Vancouver-based Lucara makes diamond history; recovers 1,111 carat diamond

by Keith Powell — November 25, 2015

A close-up picture of a diamond held in a woman's hand.

The world's second largest gem quality diamond was recovered by Lucara Diamond Corp., from the south lobe of the Karowe Mine in Botswana. — Photo courtesy Lucara

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- Lucara Diamond Corp. (TSX:LUC)(BOTSWANA:LUC)(NASDAQ OMX Stockholm:LUC) ("Lucara" or the "Company"), the high quality diamond producer with assets in Botswana, is pleased to announce the recovery of a 1,111 carat gem quality, Type IIa diamond.

The magnificent stone, which originated from the south lobe of Lucara's Karowe Mine, is the world's second largest gem quality diamond ever recovered and the largest ever to be recovered through a modern processing facility. The stone was recovered by the newly installed Large Diamond Recovery ("LDR") XRT machines. The stone measures 65mm x 56mm x 40mm in size and is the largest ever to be recovered in Botswana.

For additional pictures of the diamond, please go to the Lucara website www.lucaradiamond.com.

William Lamb, President and CEO, commented, "This historic diamond recovery puts Lucara and the Karowe mine amongst a select number of truly exceptional diamond producers. The significance of the recovery of a gem quality stone larger than 1,000 carats, the largest for more than a century and the continued recovery of high quality stones from the south lobe, cannot be overstated. Our focus on mining the south lobe, which is delivering value beyond expectation, has been perfectly timed with the commissioning of our recent plant modifications, enabling the recovery of these large, high quality exceptional diamonds."

About Lucara

Lucara is a well positioned diamond producer. The Company has an experienced board and management team with extensive diamond development and operations expertise. The Company's assets include the Karowe Mine in Botswana, two Precious Stone Exploration Licenses in Botswana and the Mothae Project in Lesotho. The 100% owned Karowe Mine is in production. The 75% owned Mothae Project is currently being divested.