Diamond

British junior miner Gem Diamonds has announced recovery of high quality 202 carat diamond in Lesotho. According to the company the D colour Type IIa diamond from the Letšeng mine in Lesotho is the seventh diamond of over 100 carats to be recovered to date in 2017 from Letšeng. Letseng is the highest …

Debmarine has announced plans to construct the world’s largest custom-built diamond mining vessel. The new vessel projected to cost approximately US$142 million (N$2 billion), is expected to commence operations in 2021. According to De Beers, the ship will work alongside five other mining vessels in the Debmarine Namibia fleet, enhancing …

International diamond giant De Beers Group has announced nine regional finalists in this year’s Shining Light Awards. The award recognises emerging jewellery designers in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, providing a valuable platform to build their careers in the jewellery design industry. The finalists, three from each country, were selected …

As efforts to diversify Oranjemund economic activities, ahead of diamonds mining coming to an end, authorities have opened the diamond-mining town to public. Previously restricting visitors Oranjemund, which lies in a diamond-mining area called the Sperrgebiet, or ‘prohibited area’ in German, held celebrations this month to declare an end to …

De Beers’ rough diamond production for quarter three of 2017 increased 46 per cent to 9.2 million carats in line with the higher production forecast for 2017. According to the company, the development reflects stable trading conditions as well as the contribution from the ramp-up of Gahcho Kué in Canada. …

British junior diamond miner Firestone Diamonds’ Liqhobong Mine in Lesotho has discovered a 134 carat gem-quality light yellow diamond. According to the company, the discovery is the largest diamond, delivered by Liqhobong so far during the early stages of mining. The company’s board believes this recovery, the second of over a hundred …

AIM-quoted diamond outfit, Firestone Diamonds’ latest diamond sale sold 195,330 carats for US$13.5 million. Firestone’s July and September 2017 diamond sale included the company’s second US$1 million stone, achieving an average value of US$69/ct. According to the company, the average realised value per carat represents the continued lower than expected …

International Diamond group De Beers Group has started work on women and girls empowerment, including on diversity and inclusion. Katie Fergusson, Head of Social Impact at De Beers said the group is changing the historical legacy of women being under-represented. “Indeed, until the 1990s, it was illegal for women to …

A sharp rise in rough diamond production at a time of stable diamond trading conditions has boosted diversified mining company Anglo American in the three months to June 30, when overall production was 8% up on a  copper-equivalent basis. Rough diamond production increased by 36% to 8.7-million carats, with production in Canada reporting …

Debmarine’s much anticipated new diamond mining vessel, the SS Nujoma was inaugurated last week Thursday in Walvis Bay before departing for the seas offshore the southern Namib, after succesfully completing five months of sea trials. The ship has spent the better part of a year in and around the Cape …