Merlin Diamonds recovered a 0.124-carat blue diamond at its mine in Australia, which it claims is the first stone of that color to be excavated at the site.The recovery occurred during the ramp-up phase of the Merlin Diamond Project in the country’s northern territory. Albeit relatively small-sized, the discovery still shows the potential for discovering valuable colored diamonds from the mine, the company said.
Merlin Diamonds, formerly North Australian Diamonds, acquired the project from Rio Tinto in 2004.
Australia is a major source of colored diamonds, with Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine in Western Australia accounting for more than 90 percent of the world’s supply of pink diamonds.
Photo © Merlin Diamonds Limited.
