said July 20that construction of its Liqhobong diamond mine in Lesotho is ahead of schedule,and initial production is now expected early in the fourth quarter.

The mine construction is 85% complete, and plantcommissioning is at 18%.

The company expects to achieve the full production rate inat least six months. First diamond sales anticipated in January 2017.

For the year ending June 2017, Firestone's productionguidance lies between 1.8 million tonnes and 2.0 million tonnes for Liqhobong.