Another huge diamond unearthed in Lesotho mine

Mining.comreports thatAfrica-focused Gem Diamonds (LON:GEMD)unveiled on Thursday a 126-carat rockunearthed at its flagship Letšeng mine in Lesotho, the latest in a string of major discoveries at the operation this year.

The finding of the high quality D colour Type IIa diamondcomes barely a month after the companydiscovered two massive diamondsat the same mine — a 151.52-carat Type I yellowrock and a high quality 104.73-carat, D-colour Type IIa stone.

It also follows the recovery of a 114-caratdiamond in April andan 80-carat, D-colour Type-II diamondfound in May — one of the highest-quality  > diamonds to come out of the Letšeng mine.

Type IIa diamonds contain very little or no nitrogen atoms, which places them among the most expensive stones.

Since acquiring Letšeng in 2006, Gem Diamonds has found four of the 20 largest white gem quality diamonds ever recovered, which makes of the mine the world’s highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond operation.

At an average elevation of 3,100 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level, Letšeng is also one of the world’s highest diamond mines.