Botswana Diamonds has obtained a prospecting permit covering five kimberlite bodies in the Marsfontein region of South Africa, known to contain diamonds. This 900.67-hectare permit surrounds the historic Marsfontein diamond mine. The permit includes kimberlites M2, M3, M7, M8, and M9 and is adjacent to the company’s Thorny River properties in Limpopo province. The main focus is on the M3 kimberlite, which has a strike length of 100 meters and widths exceeding 10 meters in
Angola’s state-owned diamond marketing company, Sodiam, announced the electronic auction of 44 special diamonds, each weighing approximately 10.80 carats. The evaluation sessions will take place from October 7th to 16th, with bidding set to close at 10:00 am local time on the final day. According to Sodiam’s statement, the auction is being organized in collaboration with Trans Atlantic Gem Sales and is open to customers in Sodiam’s database with expertise in trading special stones. Viewing
Angola’s state-owned diamond producer, Endiama, acknowledged that some clients are hesitant to engage due to its partnership with Russia’s Alrosa PJSC. However, the company emphasized that its diamond production is not subject to Western sanctions. Alrosa, the Russian diamond giant, holds a 41% stake in Angola’s Catoca mine and a controlling interest in the Luele mine. Endiama Mining SA, which owns the majority shares in both mines, has made recent management changes to strengthen its
Canada-based Lucara Diamond has sold its 100% interest in the Clara rough diamond sales platform to its original founders, led by the HRA Group of Companies and Lucara’s CEO, Eira Thomas. The Clara platform, a digital marketplace for rough diamonds, is designed to modernize the diamond trading process by connecting buyers and sellers through advanced technology. Clara offers verification technologies that integrate provenance and traceability services, providing greater transparency and trust in transactions of individual
Rio Tinto has launched its 2024 ‘Beyond Rare’ tender, the second in its Art Series collection, showcasing 48 exceptional lots of rare diamonds. This year’s collection, titled ‘Colour Awakened,’ features seven historic diamonds from Australia’s now-closed Argyle diamond mine, which operated from 1983 to 2020. The “old masters” consist of seven round brilliant-cut pink and red diamonds, ranging from 0.60 to 2.63 carats. Each was unearthed from the Argyle mine over a decade ago, with
Gem Diamonds has uncovered a remarkable 212.91-carat rough diamond at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, marking the 13th stone over 100 carats discovered by the company this year. The high-quality, type II diamond was found on September 19, just two weeks after the recovery of a 126.21-carat rough, making it the fifth large diamond retrieved in a little over a month. Earlier in September, the company also discovered a 122.20-carat stone, following a 129.71-carat rough
Angola’s National Diamond Company (Endiama) estimates the country’s diamond reserves at 732 million carats, potentially generating $140 billion for the state at an average price of $200 per carat. Miguel Vemba, Director of Mining Operations at Endiama, emphasized that over 90% of these reserves are located in primary deposits. Speaking at the 10th UNESCO African Engineering Week & African Engineering Conference in Luanda, Vemba stressed the need for efficient recovery mechanisms, including the use of
Lucara Diamond Corp today announced the recovery of an extraordinary 1,094carat rough diamond from its 100% owned Karowe Mine in Botswana. This remarkable stone bears striking similarities to the 692 carat diamond announced in August 2023, which was polished by HB Antwerp and yielded polished diamonds that sold for in excess of USD13 million. Lucara confirmsthat this newly recovered 1,094 carat stone will also be polishedby HB Antwerp, as part of the ongoing partnership between
Gem Diamonds has unearthed a 122.20-carat rough diamond from its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, marking the third diamond over 100 carats discovered in the past month and the 11th of its kind this year. The company recovered this high-quality, type II diamond on September 1, following the discovery of a 129.71-carat rough on August 23 and a 145.55-carat stone on August 3. Additional notable finds this year include a 212.49-carat rough in May and two
Rio Tinto has rescheduled its tender of run-of-mine rough diamonds from the Diavik deposit in Canada due to reduced production volumes. Originally set for September 30 to October 2, the sale has been postponed until after the Diwali holiday, which runs from October 31 to November 1, the company informed Rapaport News. Patrick Coppens, general manager of sales and marketing for Rio Tinto’s diamond unit, explained, “Geotechnical challenges at the mine in July and August
