/ 5 February 2007

Rare diamond found in Lesotho

Only months after the Letseng Mine in Lesotho discovered the world’s fifteenth-largest diamond another rare find has been unearthed at the mine.

A 216-carat diamond — a white D-colour flawless stone with a small naturally formed plane — was sent to be sold in Antwerp last week, Gem Diamonds company and the Lesotho government said in a statement on Monday.

They said the diamond was unearthed in the mine late in January this year.

In August last year the world’s fifteenth-largest diamond, a 603-carat white diamond, was found in the mine. It has since been sold for $12,4-million.

No estimate has been made on the selling price of the newly found diamond. — Sapa