BIG DIAMOND – 84-ct stone recovered at Koidu

SIERRA LEONE - The Koidu kimberlite project is nothing if not rich, yielding an 84-ct diamond in February. So far this year the mine has produced 323,337 ct including 32 "special stones", those weighing more than 10.8 ct. Stones sold in February had an average revenue of US$272/ct.

Commissioned in January 2004, the mine is owned 40% by ENERGEM RESOURCES, which has offices in Vancouver, Johannesburg and London. The company reported that the treatment plant is expanding with the addition of a 20-tonne/hour dense media separation module.

"It is always exciting to recover a large stone and the Koidu region is renowned for high quality and high value large stones," Energem chairman Brian Menell said is a press release. "We look forward to finding our first 100-plus-carat stone from Koidu."

The company's website at www.Energem.com contains a photo gallery from the Koidu project.