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Diamonds News
Gemfair shifts focus to support small-scale miners during Covid-19
By: Donna Slater 4th December 2020 Diamond miner De Beers’ artisanal and small-scale miner (ASM) global market promotion platform Gemfair responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by mobilsing its Kono, Sierra Leone-based team to develop and roll out an extensive response plan to the pandemic. The response was focused on providing food... →
BlueRock recovers 12.6 ct diamond from Kareevlei
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 4th December 2020 Aim-listed BlueRock Diamonds has recovered a 12.6 ct diamond from its Kareevlei diamond mine in the Kimberley region of South Africa. Executive chairperson Mike Houston said on Friday that the discovery was “exceptional”. →
Despite lockdown slump, diamonds to remain precious post-Covid-19 – De Beers 
By: Donna Slater 3rd December 2020 Although lockdowns across the world have had a significantly negative impact on diamond sales, demand is beginning to gain traction again as the industry nears the popular Christmas selling season and certain regions emerge from months-long strict lockdowns, says De Beers CEO Bruce Cleaver.... →
De Beers' Venetia open-pit diamond mine
Kimberlite blow discovered at Botswana Diamonds’ Thorny River prospect
By: Donna Slater 2nd December 2020 A recent drilling programme, targeting an area of 0.4 ha, at Botswana Diamonds’ Thorny River project in Limpopo, in South Africa, has led to the discovery a new kimberlite blow (a small volcanic pipe). Botswana Diamonds chairperson John Teeling says the discovery is “very significant” as the... →
De Beers announces entry dates for 2020/21 jewellery design competition
By: Donna Slater 2nd December 2020 Diamond miner De Beers Group on December 1 announced the entry dates for its De Beers Group Designers Initiative (DBGDI)-Shining Light Awards 2020/21 jewellery design competition, which is aimed at helping young jewellery designers grow. DBGDI is a youth beneficiation skills development... →
Diamcor Mining remains focused, despite Covid-19 impacts
By: Simone Liedtke 1st December 2020 With the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic, Diamcor Mining remained focused on reducing costs, operational planning for the resumption of operations and continued strengthening of the core operational management team during the six months to September 30. Despite the effects of the pandemic,... →
Lack of publicly available cadastre impeding future mining potential – Miller
By: Donna Slater 1st December 2020 The South African junior mining, and particularly prospecting, sector will continue its rapid degradation if the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) continues to refuse to publicly release information pertaining to national mining and prospecting rights, says mining supply sales... →
AmaranthCX director Paul Miller
De Beers sets goal to become carbon-neutral by 2030
By: Donna Slater 1st December 2020 Diamond miner De Beers on November 30 launched its 12 Building Forever goals, which focus on ethical practices across the diamond industry, partnering to boost communities, putting in place structures to protect the natural world and accelerating equal opportunity. The 12 “ambitious”... →
More diamonds sold from Lulo
By: Esmarie Iannucci 1st December 2020 Diamond miner Lucapa has generated a further A$9-million in revenue from the sale of diamonds from its Lulo mine, in Angola. The ASX-listed company on Tuesday revealed that 4 269 ct of Lulo diamonds have been sold at average prices of A$2 100/ct, with sales in the year-to-date reaching... →
Botswana Diamonds completes acquisition of Sekaka
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 30th November 2020 Dual-listed Botswana Diamonds' (BOD’s) acquisition of Sekaka Diamonds has been completed. Sekaka was Petra’s exploration vehicle in Botswana and holds three prospecting licences in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana − PL169/2019, PL058/2007 and PL224/2007, which includes the high-grade... →
Petra's Letlapa Tala Collection sells for $40.36m
By: Creamer Media Reporter 25th November 2020 Following a competitive tender process, Petra Diamonds has sold the Letlapa Tala collection of five blue diamonds, weighing 85.6 ct in total, to a partnership between De Beers and Diacore for $40.36-million. “The result of this special tender affirms the very high value placed on blue diamonds,... →
Coal mine on point of turning acid mine drainage into potable water at no cost 
By: Martin Creamer 23rd November 2020 An Mpumalanga coal mine is on the point of entering into an agreement before year-end to have its acid mine drainage water curse turned into potable water at no cost, Mining Weekly can today report. Recovered potassium nitrate, which retails at about R15 000/t and which is marketed at about R11... →
De Beers Namibian diamond venture gets tax break to extend operations
By: Reuters 20th November 2020 Namdeb, a joint venture between the Namibian government and Anglo American's diamond unit De Beers Group, has been granted a holiday on royalty payments, the country's mining ministry said on Friday in bid to save jobs in the shrinking sector. Diamonds have been mined in Namibia since 1908, but... →
Botswana Diamonds undertakes drilling on Thorny River, Marsfontein
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 18th November 2020 Dual-listed Botswana Diamonds has started drilling at its Thorny River and Marsfontein project areas in South Africa. The multihole drilling programme has begun on four target areas identified as being of high interest in a recent detailed ground geophysics survey. →
Anglo’s investment commitment to South Africa up R15bn
By: Martin Creamer 18th November 2020 Anglo American is on track to exceed its original investment commitment to South Africa, despite Covid-19 impacts, Mining Weekly can report. At this year’s SA Investment Conference, the London- and Johannesburg-listed diamond, platinum group metals and iron-ore mining company increased its total... →
De Beers says US, China diamond jewellery demand stable
By: Creamer Media Reporter 18th November 2020 Diamond miner De Beers sold $450-million of rough diamonds through sightholder sales and auctions in the ninth sales cycle of this year. This is an improvement on the $400-million of diamonds sold during the ninth sales cycle of 2019, but slightly lower than the $467-million of diamonds sold... →
Petra narrows full-year loss, but curtailed demand cuts earnings by nearly 60%
By: Marleny Arnoldi 17th November 2020 London-listed Petra Diamonds has posted a net loss of $223-million for the financial year ended June 30 – an improvement on the net loss after tax of $258-million reported for the 2019 financial year. The loss included a non-cash impairment charge of $91.9-million, whereas the loss for 2019 had... →
Petra Diamonds CE Richard Duffy
Dominion recalls 60 workers to prepare for Ekati restart
By: Mariaan Webb 16th November 2020 The Ekati diamond mine, in Northwest Territories, is being prepared for a restart, with 60 furloughed employees to be recalled with effect from early December. Owner Dominion Diamond says it is recalling employees in anticipation of an agreement to restructure its debt and to fund the company.... →
Botswana Diamonds gets go-ahead to finalise Sekaka Diamonds buyout
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 16th November 2020 Dual-listed Botswana Diamonds has announced that all conditions precedent for the acquisition of Sekaka Diamonds have been satisfied. The transaction, first announced in July, has been approved by Petra’s lenders and noteholders, as well as by the Botswana Minister of Mineral Resources, Green... →
Petra acknowledges Raid human rights abuse claims report, takes interim remedial action
By: Marleny Arnoldi 13th November 2020 London-listed Petra Diamonds has acknowledged a report published by UK-based corporate watchdog Raid that identifies a number of alleged human rights abuses relating to security operations at the Williamson mine, in Tanzania. Petra has committed to investigate these claims and plans to appoint a... →
Williamson to remain on care and maintenance
13th November 2020 Diamond miner Petra Diamond’s Tanzania-based Williamson mine has been on care and maintenance since mid-April, with only essential services being carried out in order to protect the mine’s assets and resources. The original decision was announced in the Market Update on April 9, 2020, when the... →
Mining output down 2.8% y/y in September
By: Creamer Media Reporter 12th November 2020 South Africa's mining production decreased by 2.8% year-on-year in September, with the iron-ore sector having made the largest negative contribution and diamonds the largest positive contribution. Seasonally adjusted mining production decreased by 0.3% month-on-month in September. →
Lucara says diamond market stabilising; recovers 998 ct diamond from Karowe
By: Marleny Arnoldi 11th November 2020 Toronto- and London-listed Lucara Diamond Corporation, which has reported a strong third-quarter performance, has recovered a 998 ct high white clivage diamond from its wholly-owned Karowe diamond mine, in Botswana. The diamond was recovered after primary crushing of ore that was sourced from a... →
De Beers partners with Redpath to boost underground mechanised mining skills at Venetia
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 10th November 2020 Diamond miner De Beers Group has entered into a mining service agreement with Redpath Australia and Redpath Mining South Africa, following a rigorous selection process with internationally recognised underground contract mining companies. De Beers says the awarding of the contract to Redpath is... →
Botswana Diamonds identifies focus areas at Marsfontein, Thorny River
By: Donna Slater 9th November 2020 Aim- and BSE-listed diamond explorer Botswana Diamonds' exploration programme has identified several kimberlite targets at its Marsfontien and Thorny River projects in South Africa. To build on the exploration programme, the company plans to start drilling, through a multihole programme, at the... →
Debswana to close diamond mine on weak demand - union leader
By: Reuters 6th November 2020 Debswana Mining Company, equally owned by De Beers and the Botswana government, will close a diamond mine in the country as weak demand and trading disruption from the pandemic make the mining of lower value diamonds unviable, a union leader told Reuters on Friday. Debswana, among the world's... →
Lucapa approves Mothae expansion
By: Esmarie Iannucci 6th November 2020 Diamond miner Lucapa Diamonds will undertake a A$10-million capital raise to fund an expansion of the company’s Mothae kimberlite mine, in Lesotho. Lucapa MD and CEO Stephen Wetherall on Friday told delegates at the Africa Downunder Conference, in Perth, that the expansion plan for Mothae would... →
Lucara, Louis Vuitton, HB Antwerk ink collaboration agreement for ‘Sethunya’ diamond
By: Simone Liedtke 5th November 2020 Canadian diamond miner Lucara Diamonds, luxury goods house Louis Vuitton and European diamond manufacturing and technology company HB Antwerp, have entered into an agreement to collaborate on the planning, cutting and polishing of a 549 ct white gem diamond. The white gem diamond, referred to as... →
Mountain Province enters final quarter with ‘cautious level of confidence’
By: Mariaan Webb 5th November 2020 The rough diamond market is starting to show some positive momentum, with prices having recovered close to pre-Covid levels from the lows seen during the peak of the pandemic, Canadian miner Mountain Province CEO Stuart Brown said on Wednesday. Although demand for rough diamonds was not yet back... →
Exploration is priority, says Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe
By: Martin Creamer 3rd November 2020 South Africa should be an exploration site that contributes to gross domestic product growth and employment creation. “Exploration is the way to go and a priority,” Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe told the 2020 Junior Indaba in his keynote address on Tuesday. (Also watch... →
Federation cautiously optimistic for holiday season
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 3rd November 2020 The diamond industry is hoping for a strong holiday season to help it regain some of the major losses of this year, and put it back on track for growth in 2021; however, the Covid-19 crisis is still ongoing and its health and economic effects will be felt in holiday purchases, especially in the... →
End of an era as Argyle delivers its final production
By: Esmarie Iannucci 3rd November 2020 Mining major Rio Tinto has ceased mining activities at its Argyle diamond mine, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, after 37 years of operation. “Fifty years ago there were very few people who believed there were diamonds in Australia – even fewer could have foreseen how the Argyle... →
Flow-through must not only incentivise exploration but also market participation – Miller
By: Martin Creamer 2nd November 2020 A flow-through share scheme tax incentive, currently under consideration for South Africa, must serve to incentivise not only exploration but also public listed market development and market participation by a diversity of investors. Mining supply sales consultancy AmaranthCX director Paul Miller... →
Mining supply sales consultancy AmaranthCX director Paul Miller
Botswana rough diamond exports down 66% in third quarter
By: Reuters 30th October 2020 Botswana's rough diamond exports plunged around 66% in the third quarter compared with the same period last year, data showed on Friday, as the coronavirus pandemic hit demand and global travel restrictions impacted trading. Botswana closed its borders in March to curb the spread of the virus,... →
Gem says higher prices demonstrate improved demand for Letšeng diamonds
By: Donna Slater 28th October 2020 LSE-listed diamond miner Gem Diamonds has sold 70 559 ct worth of diamonds for the year to date, achieving an average price of $1 908/ct. During the third quarter, the group also unearthed five diamonds greater than 100 ct, bringing the total for the year to date to 13. →
Hopes rise as top firms arrive at potential flow-through share model to stimulate mining exploration
By: Martin Creamer 27th October 2020 A flow-through share model has been drawn up with the help of top firms to stimulate badly neglected mining exploration in South Africa, Minerals Council South Africa junior and emerging miners leadership forum chairperson Errol Smart said on Tuesday. Speaking to Mining Weekly in a Zoom... →
Petra cautiously optimistic about improved diamond prices
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 27th October 2020 Diamond miner Petra Diamonds continued to perform well during the three months to September 30, with record carat production at the Cullinan mine in South Africa during August and September, an “excellent achievement” given the Covid-19 mitigation measures, which now form part of the group’s... →
Rio's 'special' diamonds up for tender
26th October 2020 Diversified miner Rio Tinto has announced that a selection of rough diamonds from the company’s Canadian and Australian mines will be tendered to diamond specialists in October and November. Headlining Rio’s forthcoming “specials” tender, which showcases rough diamonds greater than 10.8 ct, is... →
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