The 109 carat Alana diamond, an exceptional gem quality stone, was recovered at the Saxendrift Mine in South Africa in September 2013. It was found in an exploration pit by the mine's geology and mining team led by Penelope Mohale and Mulalo Ndwammbi. After cutting and polishing, the flawless yellow octahedral shaped stone was sold in March 2014.

1. 1June 2014 |
THE ALANA ~ AN EXCEPTIONAL GEM QUALITY DIAMOND RECOVERED AT SAXENDRIFT MINE
Exploration pitting at
SHC: A method used to
evaluate the quality of
gravel to be mined
James Campbell (CEO) and
Wikus de Winnaar (GM: MOR
Operations) at a trench such
as the one where the Alana
was eventually found
SOLD – MARCH 2014!!
The 109 carat Alana stone:
Fancy yellow, no visual
flaws and octahedral shape
At the cutting factory the stone was
analyzed in 3D to identify the best
cuts and value for recovery from the
stone
The SHC processing plant: Gravel is
screened and prepped before
processing through the Bulk X-ray
sorters
Liberating the gravels
Mining the gravels
Large boulders act as
trap sites
Loading and hauling the
gravel
The people on the team
Penelope Mohale (Mining
Geologist) and Mulalo
Ndwammbi (Mining
Manager: SHC):
Responsible for geology
and mining when the
Alana was recovered.
Location of the Alana
Locating the right mining area
Large stone plots :
Used to determine
the possible location
of large stones
Mining the gravels Geological daily report: Description of the gravel
containing the Alana
Mulalo
examines
the pit the
day
before
the
discovery
The Alana: 169
carats (13 September
2013)
Looking for the
Alana
Finding the
Alana (August
2013)
Recovering the
Alana
(September
2013)
Polishing the
Alana
Selling the
Alana (March
2014)