ALROSA has announced the extraction of a large 63.15 carat gem-quality rough diamond from the Zapolyarnaya pipe of the Verkhne-Munskoye deposit.

It was mined on July 9 and has an octahedral shape with small chips on the edges and tops. The mined diamond is transparent with a yellow hue, ALROSA said.

During March this year, the mining company had conducted an experiment to clarify the diamondiferous nature of the north-western part of the Zapolyarnaya pipe at the Verkhne-Munskoye deposit. Over five days, ALROSA extracted 239 large (over 8 carats) diamonds which accounted for more than 3.5% of the total number of diamonds extracted during the experiment, figures that exceed the data available for other pipes of the ALROSA Group.

The first large (over 50 carats) diamonds of the Verkhne-Munskoe deposit were a 51.49-carat crystal, mined immediately after the official launch in autumn 2018, and a unique 98.8-carat diamond. Both stones were recognized as gem-quality diamonds.

Pic caption: The 63.15 ct rough diamond extracted by AlROSA at the Verkhne-Munskoye deposit

Pic courtesy: ALROSA

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