Lucapa (ASX:LOM) has uncovered a 126 carat diamond at its new Mothae kimberlite mine in Lesotho, the largest gem-quality stone it has recovered at Mothae.

The news gave shares a boost, up 10 per cent to 16c.

It follows the 130 carat gem-quality diamond it found at the Lulo Diamond Project in Angola just last week:

The 130 carat diamond recovered from Lulo last week (pre-deep boiling). Pic: Lucapa

Lucapa says the 126 carat stone is the sixth 50+ carat diamond recovered since it began its pre-production bulk sampling program at Mothae in 2018.

Lesotho minister of mining, Keketso Sello, said the recovery of the 126 carat diamond represented another milestone for Lesotho’s highly-prospective diamond sector.

“Lesotho is very proud of its international reputation as a producer of large and high-quality diamonds and this latest recovery from our newest mine, Mothae, continues to demonstrate our nation’s great potential,” he said.

Lucapa managing director Stephen Wetherall said the 126 carat diamond was further proof of the large stone and high-value nature of the Mothae kimberlite resource, which is located within 5km of Letseng, the world’s highest US$ per carat kimberlite diamond mine.

“We are delighted to have recovered our first +100 carat stone so early in our commercial mining campaign at Mothae, along with other rare Type IIa and fancy coloured gems, and look forward to unlocking the true value of this mine over the next decade and beyond,” he said.