Associate Editor Lauren McLemore headed out West for a visit to Potentate Mining’s operation hosted by gemstone wholesaler Parlé Gems.
Lucara’s Latest Big Diamond Find is a 240-Carat Rough
The diamond miner recovered the “top white” gem at its Karowe mine in Botswana.

Vancouver—Lucara has announced the recovery of a 240-carat rough diamond from its Karowe diamond mine in Botswana.
The “top white” gem diamond will be shown alongside the 127-carat rough diamond uncovered earlier this month as well as with other exceptional stones recently recovered from Karowe at Lucara’s upcoming diamond tender in March.
Karowe, which Vancouver, Canada-based Lucara owns in its entirety, opened in 2012. Since then, the company has recovered a total of 54 diamonds weighing more than 200 carats each, including 12 topping 300 carats.
The diamond miner said it has sold 180 diamonds for more than $1 million each and 10 diamonds for more than $10 million each.
“This top white 240-carat gem diamond was mined from the M/PK(S) unit within the South Lobe, providing continuing confirmation that large, high quality gem diamonds are recovered throughout the kimberlite, in all lobes and phases on a regular basis,” CEO Eira Thomas said.
“As Karowe enters its 7th full year of production, the regular recovery of specials (diamonds weighing more than 10.8 carats) continues unabated and in line with expectations.”
Mining at Karowe is scheduled through 2026, though Thomas said earlier this year that Lucara is completing a study that could extend the mine’s lifetime by a decade or more.
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