Lucapa Sells Mothae Rough for up to $15K/ct.

RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company brought in $1.5 million at a sale of goods from its Mothae mine, with individual stones fetching up to $15,000 per carat.The Australia-based miner sold 4,000 carats of rough diamonds it recovered during initial bulk sampling at its assetin Lesotho, which began commercial production earlier this month, it said Thursday.Last week, Lucapa recovered a 78-carat white diamond from the mine, indicatingthe presence of large stones, it said. Earlier this year, the miner unearthedtwo large yellow diamonds weighing 89 carats and 25 carats from the deposit. Lucapa has also received $7 million in development fundingfor Mothae from the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC),it added. The financing will be active for four years. Image: The 78-carat diamond from the Mothae mine. (Lucapa Diamond Company)