Helga Pombal: Angola's Stardiam finds solution to the threat posed by lab-grown diamonds

Stardiam manager of production Helga Pombal told Rough&Polished's Mathew Nyaungwa on the sidelines of the Angola International Diamond Conference that lab-grown diamonds are creating a parallel market for more accessible stones, combined with lower...

11 november 2024

Ellah Muchemwa: ADPA to launch Africa's first diamond mining standard next year

The African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), which is based in Luanda, Angola, and represents the interests of mainly African diamond producers and those with the potential to produce diamonds, will next year launch the Sustainable Development...

04 november 2024

Dmitry Fedorov: I want our jewelry to be displayed at a museum in the future

Dmitry Fedorov is the founder of the eponymous jewelry house. His main focus is the creation of Orthodox-inspired premium luxury jewelry of high artistic merit. He told Rough&Polished about his journey in the jewelry industry, about choosing the ‘Orthodox...

28 october 2024

Responsible business practices ‘no longer optional’, says WDC President Feriel Zerouki

The president of the World Diamond Council takes time out of her busy schedule to tell Rough&Polished readers about the critical work of the WDC. Zerouki, the first female present of the body, which includes all the important industry organizations among...

14 october 2024

James Campbell: Botswana Diamonds optimistic as it enters uncharted territory of using AI for mineral exploration

London-listed Botswana Diamonds has expressed optimism about the company’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to scan the exploration database in Botswana to look for new mineralised deposits. Company managing director James Campbell told Rough...

07 october 2024

Trans Hex mothballs SA mine

22 may 2017
Trans Hex has placed its Bloeddrif mine, which is part of its ageing Lower Orange River (LOR) operations in South Africa, on care and maintenance.
The company said it was also engaging relevant stakeholders, including the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which earlier this week condemned the “sudden closure” of the mine, which employs 115 people.
“The ever-declining diamond grade and stone size, together with increasing production costs, have resulted in significant financial losses being incurred,” Mining Weekly quoted TransHex as saying.
“The situation has worsened in the current financial year and action has now been taken to contain further losses and, critically, to give Baken mine the best possible chance of survival, at least in the short term, would continue to receive full pay while the company undertakes the necessary statutory processes of engagement and consultation with relevant stakeholders.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished