Angola Aims to Polish Majority of its Diamonds

September 17, 25 by John Jeffay

Angola aims to cut and polish the majority of its rough diamond production domestically by the end of 2027. Laureano Receado (pictured), executive board member for mining operations at Endiama, the state-run diamond company, told state-run ... Read More...

After 15 Years, Disputed Diamonds Finally being Sold

September 17, 25 by John Jeffay

Rough diamonds that were locked in a 15-year legal dispute in Zimbabwe are finally being sold. The UK miner Vast Resources is offering parcels totaling 135,000 carats at a series of public and private tenders from now until the end of October. Vast ... Read More...

Debmarine's New, Improved Underwater Diamond Crawler

September 17, 25 by John Jeffay

Debmarine Namibia has unveiled its new underwater crawlers for sucking up diamonds from the seabed. The remote-controlled 370-tonne vehicles will improve mining efficiency by 20 per cent. The first pair of new-generation crawlers will be deployed by... Read More...

Namdia Sues G4S over $17m Diamond Heist

September 16, 25 by John Jeffay

Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) is suing security company G4S over the $17m heist at its HQ in January. Namibia's state-run diamond marketing company claims G4S was negligent, and that one of its employees "was complicit in the heist", in which... Read More...

Diamond Slump: S&P Cuts Botswana Credit Rating

September 16, 25 by John Jeffay

Botswana's credit rating has been downgraded for the first time in at least five years by S&P (Standard & Poor). The US-based credit rating agency cited collapsing diamond revenues, deteriorating public finances, and a rapid erosion of foreign exchange ... Read More...

Memo by John Jeffay

September 10

So who will be the next owner of the remarkable 9.51-carat Mellon Blue diamond? It was part of a vast collection of art and jewelry that belonged to the American heiress and philanthropist Rachel Lambert (Bunny) Mellon. In 2014, shortly after her death at the age...  Read More...