Two big finds exceeding 100 carat

GEM DIAMONDS discovered two diamonds bigger than 100 carats at its Lesotho mine, bringing the struggling miner a step closer to ending a drought of large stones. Gem unearthed a 104.73 carat D colour Type IIa diamond and a 151.52 carat Type I yellow diamond at its Letseng mine, the company said yesterday. Type IIa diamonds contain very little or no nitrogen atoms and are the most expensive stones. Until now Gem had reported just one large discovery this year, after unearthing a 114 carat diamond in April. Letseng is renowned for the size and quality of its stones, with an average sales price of almost $2 000 (R25 818) a carat, the highest in the industry. Yet the company has suffered recently from a lack of big finds.