(IDEX Online News) – Australian-miner Lucapa Diamond Company has announced the largest yet-recovered stone from its Lulo mine in Angola.

The 133.4 carat diamond was recovered from initial processing of new gravels from Mining Block 6. The company said that the stone was not of particularly high quality, but its recovery along with three other specials from this sample, and six previously recovered specials weighing 95.5 carats, 53.2 carats, 32.2 carats, 24.5 carats, 13.7 carats and 10.9 carats, show that Mining Block 6 could be a significant source of large alluvial diamonds.

Lucapa had recently announced that heavy rains had restricted access to certain alluvial deposits, but Mining Block 6 continues to be accessible.

“We are certainly excited by what we are seeing at Mining Block 6,” said Lucapa chief executive Stephen Wetherall.   

“The fact that the 133.4 carat stone is a compound diamond, which is unlikely to have traveled very far from its primary source – and its relative proximity downstream to Mining Block 8 and our high priority kimberlite targets – we believe is very significant.”

The previous largest diamond found at Lulo was a 131.4 carat D-color Type IIa diamond recovered from bulk sampling in 2012.