A 391.45-carat diamond of exceptional quality has been discovered at the Meya mine in Sierra Leone’s Kono district, marking the second major find at the site, according to the country’s National Minerals Agency. The diamond, classified as a Type IIa stone, was originally part of a larger 514.99-carat diamond that fractured into three pieces during extraction.

This is the second significant diamond discovery at the Meya mine, following the recovery of a 476.98-carat diamond in 2017. That stone, known as the Meya Prosperity, was sold to luxury jeweler Graff for $16.5 million.

Jan Joubert, CEO of Meya Mining, highlighted the rarity of such large diamond recoveries. “Only four mines in the world infrequently recover these exceptional over-500-carat diamonds,” he said. Joubert emphasized the potential for future discoveries, noting that Meya has treated only 84,195 tonnes of kimberlite to date. “The fact that Meya has recovered two [such] diamonds…suggests there is a high probability of recovering more and possibly bigger diamonds once the mine reaches steady state production,” Joubert added.

Meya Mining, which is 70% owned by Sterling Global Trading following a $50 million deal with Trustco Group last year, plans to use funds from the transaction to expand production. The deal included a $25 million cash payout and a $25 million loan aimed at increasing output from the deposit.