DIAMOND PAGE — Hymex sells alluvial diamonds

Vancouver-based junior Hymex Diamond (HMD-V) has sold just under 11,000 carats of diamonds from its properties in Guinea, West Africa.

Proceeds of the sale, held in Antwerp, Belgium, amounted to US$808,767, for an average of US$74.08 per carat. Per-carat prices for several of the larger stones were high. A 13.1-carat lot sold for US$4,580 per carat; a 3.4-carat lot sold for US$3,200 per carat; a 52-carat lot sold for US$1,897 per carat; a 31-carat lot sold for US$1,125 per carat; and a 243-carat lot sold for US$840 per carat.

Hymex is not yet ready to produce diamonds commercially from its alluvial operations in Guinea. The company’s alluvial diamond resource is estimated at 10.3 million carats. The recent arrival of an alluvial wash plant will allow for production capacity (gravel throughput) to be increased by as much as a factor of 10. The plant is expected to be operational by the end of December.

Meanwhile, Hymex is continuing hard-rock exploration. Trial runs of a new kimberlitic wash plant will begin shortly. The plant is next to the Katcha dyke and Droubja blow, which contain indicated resources of 990,000 cubic metres of kimberlitic material at a grade of 2.17 carats per cubic metre. An additional 500,000 cubic metres of kimberlitic material have been identified by Hymex at the Droubja blow.