VANCOUVER: Lucara Diamond Corp. announced that it has entered into a definitive supply agreement for the remainder of 2020 with HB Group out of Antwerp, Belgium, in respect of all diamonds produced in excess of 10.8 carats in size from its 100% owned Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana.

Large, high value diamonds in excess of 10.8 carats in size from Karowe account for approximately 70% of Lucara’s annual revenues, and though the mine has remained fully operational throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Lucara made a deliberate decision not to tender any of its +10.8 carat inventory after early March 2020 amidst the uncertainty caused by the global crisis.

Under the terms of this novel supply agreement with HB, the purchase price paid for Lucara’s +10.8 carat rough diamonds shall be based on the estimated polished outcome, determined through state of the art scanning and  planning technology, with a true up paid on actual achieved polished sales thereafter, less a fee and the cost of manufacturing.  This unique pricing mechanism is expected to deliver regular cash flow for this important segment of our production profile at superior prices.

Eira Thomas, CEO commented: “Building on the partnership established for the manufacturing of the Sewelô earlier this year, Lucara is pleased to have now secured a broader supply agreement with HB to purchase all of our +10.8 carat rough diamonds, through to year-end.  This agreement will deliver regular revenues on superior pricing terms to those currently being achieved at tender, and, helps position Lucara to move forward with key underground expansion activities for Karowe in 2020. It is our strong view that the success of our industry in these very uncertain times, requires better alignment between producers, manufacturers, and retailers to establish a healthier, more efficient global diamond supply chain. We are excited to be working with HB to support this new paradigm.”

Oded Mansori, Co-Founder of HB Group, commented: “Aligned in our core values and beliefs, HB is pleased to be entering into this definitive supply agreement with Lucara, turning our long-term vision for transparency and sustainability in the value chain into reality. HB represents a new, innovative approach, using technologies that nullify speculation in favor of a stronger eco-system, the first of its kind for our industry.”

Lucara is a leading independent producer of large exceptional quality Type IIa diamonds from its 100% owned Karowe Mine in Botswana and owns a 100% interest in Clara Diamond Solutions, a secure, digital sales platform positioned to modernize the existing diamond supply chain and ensure diamond provenance from mine to finger.  The Company has an experienced board and management team with extensive diamond development and operations expertise.  The Company operates transparently and in accordance with international best practices in the areas of sustainability, health and safety, environment, and community relations.

The HB Group is a technology company focused on diamonds, based in Antwerp. Given the extensive experience in the diamond sector of several of the Group’s co-founders the company has broadened the concept of transparency with a focus on the end to end supply chain management in order to simplify the complexities and challenges of global diamonds supply chains.