Historic Diamond Fields & Mines in Angola

Lunda Norte — Cuango River, Dundo & Lucapa alluvial fields

Angola’s diamond story began in the northeast. Early finds (1912–1913) in rivers such as the Mussalala and the Cuango launched decades of alluvial mining centered on Dundo and Lucapa. The colonial company Diamang (founded 1917) ran large operations; alluvial output peaked at about 2.4 million carats in 1973. Sources: GIA “History of Diamond Sources in Africa (Part I)”; World Diamond Council Angola case study (history, peak alluvial output).

Lunda Sul — Catoca Kimberlite (Saurimo)

Discovered and developed after mid-century kimberlite finds, Catoca opened in 1997 and quickly became one of the world’s largest kimberlite diamond mines, long accounting for the majority of Angola’s production. Sources: NASA Earth Observatory note on Catoca; Catoca overview; World Diamond Council profile.

Lunda Norte — Lulo (Cacuilo River) alluvial field & kimberlite targets

The Lulo concession is renowned for very large, high-value Type IIa diamonds from its alluvial terraces and drains. It produced Angola’s 404.2 ct “4 de Fevereiro” rough (2016) and the 170 ct pink “Lulo Rose” (2022), alongside many other 100+ ct stones. Sources: Christie’s/Forbes on the 404 ct stone; NaturalDiamonds.com & ABC News on the Lulo Rose; JCK on earlier large Lulo stones.

Luaxe / Luele — Angola’s next giant kimberlite

Inaugurated in 2023, the Luele (Luaxe) mine is a new flagship kimberlite with an estimated resource around ~628 million carats and a multi-decade mine life—expected to materially lift national output as it scales. Sources: Reuters (Luele inauguration/resource estimate); National Jeweler overview.

Other kimberlite systems — Camafuca–Camazambo, Camatchia/Camagico, etc.

Kimberlites were first reported in 1952 with the discovery of the large Camafuca–Camazambo complex. Numerous pipes were identified in the 1970s, though full evaluation lagged during the civil-war years. Sources: GIA Africa history (kimberlite timeline); Rough-Polished analysis; Wikipedia Camafuca entry.

Angola’s Most Historic & Largest Diamonds

“4 de Fevereiro” (Lulo 404) → Art of de GRISOGONO, Creation I

Rough: 404.2 ct Type IIa, recovered Feb. 2016 at Lulo (then Angola’s largest). Polished: 163.41 ct D-color, Flawless emerald-cut; sold at Christie’s Geneva in 2017 for $33.7M. Sources: Christie’s press; Forbes feature; Wikipedia list entry.

“Lulo Rose”

Rough: 170 ct Fancy pink diamond (2022), widely cited as the largest natural pink found in ~300 years; recovered from Lulo’s alluvials. Sources: NaturalDiamonds.com; ABC News coverage.

“Angolan Star” (Luarica)

Rough: ~217.4 ct (2007), formerly Angola’s largest before the 404 ct Lulo stone; recovered at the Luarica mine. Source: industry reports summarizing Angola’s largest stones prior to 2016.

Other notable Lulo stones

Lulo has yielded multiple 100+ ct Type IIa roughs (e.g., 131.4 ct in 2012; 95.45 ct in 2014), underscoring the concession’s tendency to produce very large, high-purity goods. Source: JCK (2012–2014 Lulo recoveries).

Summary

Angola’s diamonds began as river-washed treasures of the Cuango and Lunda districts under Diamang, peaked alluvially in the early 1970s, and then—after war-time disruption—shifted decisively to world-class kimberlite mines. Today Catoca anchors production while the new Luele mine and the prolific Lulo field keep Angola central to the story of giant, high-quality diamonds. Primary references above.

Datasets: U.S. Geological Survey, Major Mineral Deposits of the World, Open-File Report 2005-1294. Data portal