Let??eng Mine Yields 114ct. Yellow Diamond

RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds has recovered its third yellow diamond over 100carats this year, following a two-year dearth of stones in that hue and size. The miner found the 114.2-carat rough on August 22 at itsLet??eng mine in Lesotho, it said Monday. The company unearthed a 135-carat,yellow diamond from the deposit in June, and a similar 134-carat stone was brought upin March. Prior to those recoveries, Let??eng hadn't yielded a yellow diamondover 100 carats since June 2017, when Gem Diamonds retrieved a 151.52-carat roughat the site. The discovery is also the sixth over 100 carats the miner,known for its large-stone retrieval, has unearthed so far this year. Theseinclude three white diamonds, weighing 123.5, 140 and 161 carats. During the first six months of the year, the miner recovered three stones over 100 carats, compared to 10 of that size during the same period a year ago. The lack of large stones in comparison with last year hashurt Gem Diamonds' revenue. Sales of rough diamonds fell 44% to $94.5 million in the first half, withthe average price dropping from $2,742 per carat to $1,697. Image: The 114.2-carat yellow diamond. (Gem Diamonds)