New Alrosa Mine Yields 17ct. Yellow

RAPAPORT... Alrosa has recovered a 17.44-carat, bright-yellow, gem-quality diamond at its Verkhne-Munskoye deposit, the first colored stone found at the mine since it opened.The stone, recovered in mid-February from the mine in Yakutia, was found in the Zapolyarnaya pipe, one of four kimberlites located at the site. The company plans to assess and evaluate the yellow diamond at its United Selling Organization, after which it will be sent to Diamonds of Alrosa, the miner's cutting and polishing division, Alrosa deputy CEO Evgeny Agureev said.Alrosa launched the Verkhne-Munskoye mine in Ocotober 2018. It expects the deposit to produce approximately 1.8 million carats of rough per year until 2042. The Zapolyarnaya pipe previously yielded large high-quality white diamonds weighing 51.15, 70.67 and 98.8 carats from Zapolyarnaya, as well as a lower-value, 268-carat stone. Colored diamonds comprise less than 0.1% of Alrosa's total output.Image: The 17.44-carat yellow diamond. (Alrosa)