Category: Diamonds

Koidu Limited, Sierra Leone’s largest diamond mining company, has suspended operations and laid off the majority of its local workforce—more than 1,000 employees—due to a protracted dispute over wages and working conditions. The conflict began with a strike in December 2024, which workers temporarily paused in hopes of reaching an agreement through negotiations. However, after talks stalled, employees resumed industrial action in early March, according to Reuters. Charles Kainessie, president of the Koidu Limited Workers’

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De Beers has quietly begun selling rough diamonds at steep discounts to a select group of buyers — a rare and contentious move that is stirring tensions within an industry already grappling with sluggish demand and mounting uncertainty. In a departure from its traditional pricing model, the diamond giant has been offering discounts of 10% to 20% through confidential side deals, aimed at offloading growing inventories without making public price cuts. These covert sales, reported

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Alrosa has discovered a 468.30-carat fancy amber-colored diamond, the largest gem-quality rough stone ever found in Russia, surpassing the miner’s previous record of 401 carats set in 2013. The historic stone was recovered from one of Alrosa’s mines in the Yakutia region, the company announced last week. CEO Pavel Marinychev highlighted the timing of the discovery, which follows the unveiling of the “New Sun,” a fancy vivid yellow diamond over 100 carats—the largest ever manufactured

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De Beers has held its first diamond auction in Botswana following the relocation of its sales operations from Singapore, marking a significant step in consolidating its global trading activities in Gaborone and boosting operational efficiency. The company announced the move on Friday, stating that the transfer reinforces Botswana’s status as a key player in the global diamond value chain. A small-scale pilot auction during De Beers’ third sales cycle attracted “substantial interest,” with strong customer

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Debswana Diamond Company has confirmed that the Orapa No. 2 processing plant is currently undergoing its annual scheduled maintenance during the month of May and has not been shut down, contrary to recent media reports. The company clarified that the temporary plant stoppage is part of routine operational procedures aimed at ensuring continued efficiency and reliability. This clarification follows misleading claims suggesting a full halt in operations. Debswana emphasized that the maintenance shutdown is a

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Lucara Diamond is under increasing financial pressure as it seeks additional funding to maintain liquidity and complete the delayed underground expansion of its Karowe mine in Botswana — the company’s sole producing asset. In its first-quarter 2025 results, CEO William Lamb confirmed that Lucara had received approval from lenders to draw $28 million from its cost overrun reserve account. The reserve is part of a $61.7 million facility provided by Nemesia, Lucara’s largest shareholder and

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AIM-listed Vast Resources has announced the discovery of an additional 6,055.35 carats of gem-quality diamonds within a sealed parcel previously held in Zimbabwe, following a recent inspection by the Kimberley Process. The previously unknown diamonds were identified during the formal inspection process. The entire parcel, including the newly discovered stones, is currently in Dubai for final sorting ahead of cleaning and preparation for sale. Last month, the company confirmed the release of the historic parcel,

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