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

Gem Diamonds recovers “high quality” 202 ct stone from Letšeng mine

24 november 2017
Gem Diamonds said it has recovered a “high quality” 202 carat, D colour Type IIa diamond from its 70 percent-owned Letšeng mine in Lesotho.
It said in a brief statement that this was the seventh diamond of over 100 carats to be recovered to date this year from the mine.
The Letšeng mine, which produces top colour, exceptional white diamonds, was the highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond mine in the world.
Gem Diamonds recently said that a core drilling programme to improve confidence in the geology at depth, including volume, grade, and revenue inputs of the resource had commenced and was “progressing well”.
The company also conducted two tenders during the third quarter of the year, which saw 25 909 carats being sold for $48.1 million, achieving an average price of $1,858 per carat.

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