108.39-carat pink rock recovered in Lesotho

A 108.39-carat fancy pink diamond has been recovered in Kao Mine in Lesotho. Storm Mountain Diamonds (SMD), jointly owned by Namakwa Diamonds Limited and the Government of Lesotho, made the discoverer and noted the gem is one of the largest pink roughs ever found in Africa.

Type IIa stone

The diamond was recovered from a 1.5 tonne sample of kimberlite ore that was processed at the mine’s plant. It is a Type IIa stone, which means it has very few impurities and a high level of clarity. It is also more than twice the weight of the 47.81-carat Pink Eternity, which was recovered last year and sold for an undisclosed price.

The Kao kimberlite was discovered in 1956 and is the largest in Lesotho and the fourth largest in Southern Africa. For many years it was mined by artisans and organized cooperatives. It was bought from the Lesotho government in 2006 by Kao Diamond Mines in 2006 and then by current owners SMD (jointly owned by Namakwa Diamonds Limited and the Lesotho Government) in 2010. The mine has yielded the Pink Dawn (25.97 carat) and Pink Palesa (21.68 carat) in 2021, and the Rose of Kao (29.59 carat) in 2018.

Prices for the pink variety are expected to soar to new highs in the coming years as Rio Tinto closed its iconic Argyle mine. The operation was the world’s biggest diamond mine and the main global source of high-quality pink gems