<p>Lucapa Diamond Co Ltd and its partners said today that 2020 had begun on a positive note for the company with the recovery of a 117 carat gem quality diamond at the Lulo alluvial mine in Angola.</p> <p>This is the first +100 carat stone recovered this year and the 14th such rough diamond found at the site to date.</p> <p>The company said that the large stone was one of the Specials (+10.8 carat diamonds) recovered recently from Mining Block 19. This block is located between Mining Blocks 6 and 8, which have together produced 12 +100 carat diamonds, including Angola&rsquo;s biggest recorded gem &ndash; the 404 carat 4th February Stone recovered and sold in 2016 for US$ 16 million.</p> <p>Lucapa Managing Director Stephen Wetherall commented: &ldquo;The recovery of this gem-quality 117 carat diamond represents a positive start for Lulo in 2020 as we continue rolling out our plans to increase production and revenues this year.&rdquo;</p> <p>Lucapa said it also continues to recover large diamonds from the Mothae kimberlite mine in Lesotho (Lucapa 70%; Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho 30%), with the latest recovery of Specials including a 60 carat gem-quality stone.</p> <p><em>Pic caption: The 117 carat rough diamond recovered at Lulo</em></p>