MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. A unique transparent with a visible yellow shade, gem-quality rough diamond weighing 98.8 carats was mined at Zapolyarnaya kimberlite pipe, which is the part of the Verkhne-Munskoye diamond deposit on February 17, 2019, Russia’s diamond producer Alrosa said in a statement on Wednesday.
"This is the second major find since the launch of the deposit last October. It allows us to speak about the great potential of the Verkhne-Munskoye deposit. Not every kimberlite pipe regularly brings large diamonds over 50 carats. Especially when it comes to such a large crystal, like this one - weighing almost 100 carats. Despite some inclusions, it is clear that this is a high quality stone. After a detailed study and evaluation, I believe it will be transferred to Diamonds Alrosa cutting and polishing division," Member of the Management Board, Director of the United Selling Organization at Alrosa Evgeny Agureev was quoted as saying.
The first large gem-quality diamond weighing 51.49 carats was mined here in the late fall, shortly after the official launch of the deposit on October 31, 2018.
Verkhne-Munskoe diamond deposit is located in the west of Yakutia, 170 kilometers from the town of Udachny. At present, four kimberlite pipes have been explored: Zapolyarnaya, Deimos, Novinka, and Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya.
According to Alrosa, the ore reserves at the Verkhne-Munsky kimberlite field are estimated at 65 mln tonnes with an average grade of about 0.6 carats per tonne, or 38 mln carats. The Verkhne-Munskoye deposit will bring about 1.8 mln carats of rough diamonds per year, and its reserves are sufficient to continue mining for more than 20 years - until 2042.
