Rockwell Recovers 189.6 Carat White Diamond from its Klipdam Mine

Rockwell Recovers 189.6 Carat White Diamond from its Klipdam Mine

Rockwell Diamonds Inc reports on the recovery of an exceptional 189.6-carat gemstone diamond from its Klipdam mining operation north of Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.

This large and exceptional gemstone diamond is oval in shape, somewhat flattened and strongly resorbed, and shows features typical of top colour high value Type-2 gemstones. Stones of this quality have previously been recovered from the Company’s operations as well as mines such as Gem Diamonds’ Letseng operation in Lesotho. The 189.6-carat Rockwell stone is presently subject to analysis and valuation. Initial indications suggest that the diamond is D Color with the potential of a very high recovery polished product. Aside from sparse black inclusions on the one side of the rough diamond, the heart of the stone appears to be clean and could result in a final polished diamond of considerable value.

The Company has also recovered a small but rare 1.13-carat intense blue flawless diamond from the same Klipdam mine. Rockwell is considering its options in respect of marketing this stone which has been submitted for appraisal and valuation. Klipdam has produced rare fancy stones in the past, including a 7.28-carat intense flawless pink stone which was sold in November 2007 for US$145,000 per carat. The Company also continues to recover intense and vivid yellow colored diamonds regularly from this and its adjacent Holpan operation, as well as the Company’s Wouterspan and Saxendrift operations on the Middle Orange River.

President and CEO John Bristow noted “We are ecstatic with the recovery of a yet another large stone of exceptional size and colour at Klipdam. The recovery of the 189.6-carat stone is compatible with our statistical predictions that diamonds of greater than 100 carats in size are an inherent part of the diamond population found in these unique alluvial deposits. Four plus 100 carat stones have now been recovered from the site. We look forward to receiving an independent appraisal and valuation of this new stone. Recovery of a small blue diamond from Klipdam, the same locality where we recovered a 7.28-carat pink stone in late 2007, further highlights the unique nature and frequency with which this deposit yields both large and fancy stones of exceptional value.”

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