Australia’s Lucapa Diamond (ASX:LOM) reported on Tuesday a 35% increase in the resource carats at its Lulo diamond mine in Angola, where the company found a 113-carat white diamond in January.
Despite a reduction in grade to 6.86 carats per 100 cubic metres, which Lucapa said was a result of adjusting the mining dilution factor, the mine’s in-situ resource now sits at 135,900 carats at a modelled average diamond value of $1,440/ct. This was up from the previous estimation of 100,700 carats at $1,620/ct.
The updated resource accounts for mining depletion to the end of December 2020, as well as the delineation of new or additional resources. It’s also a result of Lucapa’s improved knowledge of existing resource areas, such as leziria, which have delivered good quality stones.