News
Richemont, Signet in talks to join De Beers consortium – report
Luxury group Richemont and US retailer Signet Jewelers are in advanced talks to join the Global Diamond Consortium (GDC) bidding for De Beers, according to five people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports.
16 october 2026
Rio Tinto begins Q4 of 2026 with strong operational performance
The Anglo-Australian mining group Rio Tinto has reported its third-quarter 2026 results, highlighting strong operational performance.
16 october 2026
Silver market deficit to widen in 2026 - report
In the latest World Silver Survey prepared by the Silver Institute and Metals Focus, the global silver market deficit is forecast to widen for the sixth consecutive year to 46.3 million ounces.
16 october 2026
Tharisa signs PGM offtake deal with Valterra Platinum, expands chrome collaboration
South Africa’s Tharisa has entered a binding arrangement for the sale of PGM concentrate to Rustenburg Platinum Mines, a subsidiary of Valterra Platinum, effective 1 January 2027.
16 october 2026
Norilsk hosts Nornickel’s 3rd Geology and Mine Surveying Forum
The 3rd Geology and Mine Surveying Forum, organized by Nornickel, has kicked off in Norilsk. The event continues to grow in scope, this year bringing together representatives from universities, equipment suppliers, design teams, mining companies, and...
16 october 2026
Beneficiation in the Diamond Industry: South Africa
30 october 2017
(ehudlaniado.com) - South Africa has a very long and important role in the history of diamonds. It was there, in the 1860s, that diamonds were discovered on the banks of the Orange River. The resulting diamond rush, and the establishment of De Beers’ foothold on diamond mining, transformed the industry, helping to develop diamonds as a viable commercial product for more than just the world’s elite. At one point in time, almost all of the world’s diamond mining activity took place in South Africa. While the nation is still an important producer of diamonds, its role has diminished. Today South Africa is the world’s fourth largest diamond producer by value, according to Kimberley Process statistics.
Q3 results: Alrosa versus De Beers
27 october 2017
Diamond giant Alrosa released its third quarter operational overview on 23 October, which showed that its output for the first nine months of the year leaped 6 percent to 29.5 million carats compared with 27.9 million carats, a year earlier. Anglo American, the parent company of De Beers, which was Alrosa’s major competitor, released its third quarter production results on 24 October, which showed that the diamond group improved its third quarter output 46 percent to 9.2 million carats when compared with 6.3 million carats produced, a year earlier.
Diamonds pave the way to advanced industrial applications
27 october 2017
(betterdiamondinitiative.org) - Diamonds have been known by young and old alike as a precious stone to adore one’s jewelry. The little known use of diamonds is its application for industrial and scientific purposes. Only 30% of the diamonds produced worldwide are of gem quality, the rest are used for the non-gem uses. While there has already been a variety of application of diamonds in use, researchers and scientists all over the world are continuously trying to come up with new and advanced application of diamonds.
ZCDC needs seasoned diamond miner as JV partner
26 october 2017
(newzimbabwe.com) - Although Zimbabwe has been involved in diamond mining through Murowa Diamonds as well as the mothballed River Ranch, it was the discovery of Marange diamond fields – more than a decade ago – which attracted a lot of global attention, much of it for the wrong reasons. A host of companies – some of them with no previous diamond mining experience – were awarded licences to mine the vast diamond fields. The companies were later accused of siphoning revenue from Marange, while some non-governmental organisations such as Global Witness placed the blame on Harare’s doorstep. However, the government refuted the claims. The Kimberley Process (KP), the global diamond watchdog, had to impose restrictions on the trading of the country’s stones in 2009. However, Harare complied with KP’s minimum requirements and it was allowed to export Marange diamonds in November 2011. Meanwhile, President Robert Mugabe alleged last year that of the $15 billion realised since the start of mining in Marange, only $2 billion was channeled to the Treasury, while the rest was unaccounted for. Harare then established the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) to promote “transparency and stop smuggling”. The government thought that the erstwhile Marange diamond companies would merge their operations and establish a joint venture with the new state-owned entity. They, however, spurned the offer and some of them went to court challenging Harare’s decision to drive them out of their claims. As I write this piece, ZCDC was mining diamonds in Marange without any joint venture partner. Former finance minister Patrick Chinamasa said last July that ZCDC’s “diamonds output during the first half of 2017 was 1,1 million carats against 690,000 carats produced during the previous year". However, data released by KP earlier this year indicated that the country produced 2,1 million carats in 2016 worth $105 million, which contradicted Harare’s figures. Whatever, ZCDC produced last year, there was no doubt that it would do much better with a seasoned diamond miner as its joint venture partner. Here I refer to a company with a traceable history of diamond mining, let alone the skills and resources. Although there are several good junior and mid-tier diamond companies, three companies, with a global reach, come to mind and these are Rio Tinto, De Beers and Russia’s Alrosa.
Is the African mining sector becoming uninvestable?
25 october 2017
(howwemadeitinafrica.com) - At the recent Africa Forum hosted by Hogan Lovells, in London, a number of common, positive themes came through: Africa is a continent of endless possibilities and opportunities; Africa has significant natural and human resources which can be unlocked for the benefit of all Africans; and the investability of many African countries has improved, for various reasons, including mature banking, finance and legal institutions, investment-friendly policies and regulatory frameworks, and national development plans which demonstrate governmental support for sustainable infrastructure and development. Why then, within the context of a mostly positive view of investment in Africa, is the question posed whether the African mining and natural resources sector, is becoming uninvestable?
