Five Star Diamonds Ltd said Dec. 20 that it recovered the first diamonds from its Maravilha kimberlite discovery in Brazil.

The company recently completed an initial mini bulk sample of the M3 kimberlite pipe at Maravilha, with a subsequent study of the heavy minerals identifying seven diamonds. Three of the stones were described as white and transparent macrodiamonds, while the other four were classified as microdiamonds.

Five Star will continue mini bulk sampling across the M3 pipe and other targets, with additional follow-up including trenching and drilling planned. All samples will be pretreated to generate concentrates for diamond analysis, with results anticipated in early 2018.

In addition, the company said it recently acquired a property adjacent to and east of Maravilha that hosts similar kimberlite indicator minerals as the M3 pipe but has never been tested for diamonds.