IDEX Online) - Canadian explorer Star Diamond says it is encouraged by the gems recovered from the ninth of 10 bulk sampling trenches at its Star-Orion South project.It announced a total of 3,534 diamonds weighing 210.68 carats, among them three larger Type IIa stones, weighing 10.13, 8.10 and 7.29 carats. Altogether there were 25 diamonds weighing one carat or more.Inn 2018 an independent preliminary economic assessment on the Star and Orion South kimberlites estimated that 66 million carats of diamonds could be recovered in a surface mine over 38 years.Star Diamond is junior partner with Rio Tinto Canada in the joint venture exploration currently taking place in central Saskatchewan, 60km east of Prince Albert."The recent recovery of larger Type IIa diamonds from Rio Tinto Canada's bulk sample program continues to strengthen our expectation for recovery of large, high value diamonds in a future producing diamond mine," said Ken MacNeill, president and CEO of Star Diamond.