The Liqhobong diamond mine in Lesotho, owned by Firestone Diamonds, produced 204,000 carats during the second quarter ended June 30.
According to CEO Stuart Brown said, quoted in Mining Weekly, “The commissioning and ramp-up process at Liqhobong has been very successful, particularly in terms of mining and treatment. To have achieved commercial production within eight months of start-up is an exceptional record”.
Firestone also reported that it had $17.3 million cash on hand at the end of Q2. In two tenders held in May and June in Antwerp, the miner sold all 182,786 carats on offer, achieving an average price of $77 per carat for a total of of $14.1million. Additionally, “for the full year, 310,376 carats were sold, generating proceeds of $27.8 million, achieving an average price of $90 per carat”.
