Canada-based mining company Fura Gems Inc. reported the start of its bulk sampling programme at the Coscuez emerald project in Boyacá, Colombia. During the initial phase of bulk sampling, a total of 1,720 carats of emeralds were mined, out of which 826 carats were high quality emeralds, it said.
A total of 30,000 tonnes of material from the mineralised body are expected to be collected in the first phase of the programme on or before December 31st 2018 using existing tunnels. The main purpose of the bulk sampling programme is to collect the most representative samples from the mineralised body at different levels from all accessible tunnels and workings within the Coscuez emerald mine.
Data collected from the programme will then be modelled to permit Fura to better understand the mineralised grade and prepare a mining plan. Fura owns a 76% beneficial interest in the Coscuez emerald mine, which covers a total area of 46 hectares.
Dev Shetty, president & CEO of Fura Gems, said, “Fura has achieved an important milestone by commencing the bulk sampling mining operation at the Coscuez emerald mine within eight weeks of completing the acquisition of the mine.”
“The initial production of 1,720 carats of emeralds, including 826 carats of top quality emeralds, during the early stage of the programme further confirms the quality of the Coscuez emerald mine. We will continue to build our geological knowledge of the licence area and also strive to modernise the Coscuez emerald mine. Fura has now become the first publicly listed company in the world to commence a bulk sampling operation in Colombia, the world’s largest supplier of emeralds.”