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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...

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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

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Artur Salyakayev: For me, happiness is freedom to make my ideas happen and create valuable products

Artur Salyakayev is an art entrepreneur, founder of the International Jewelry Academy (IJA) and the INCRUA jewelry company. He has initiated and developed successful projects in jewelry industry and services sector. He is also a leading expert...

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Paul Zimnisky: China key for sustained recovery in demand for natural diamonds, prices

The curtailing of upstream and midstream natural diamond production in the past months is starting to have an effect on prices, according to the New-York-based independent diamond and jewellery analyst and consultant, Paul Zimnisky. He told Rough & Polished’s...

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Trustco set for exploration in Sierra Leone, suspends operations at NNDC

14 december 2017
Trustco Resources, a Namibian investment company, said its primary focus during the first half of 2018, will be to establish operational readiness at Meya Mine in Sierra Leone and execute the first phase of the exploration programme within the “ambitious” 18-month project schedule.
Meya Mining, which was 51 percent owned by Trustco Resources, recently discovered a 476 carat diamond.
The diamond was discovered in an area spanning from the Kamara Gbense to the Tankoro chiefdoms in Kono District and an initial assessment indicated that the stone was the 29th largest diamond ever discovered.
Two other special diamonds of 19.70 carats and 27.93 carats were also discovered on the same day in the Kono District.
“Based on management’s experience and understanding of the geological setting within Meya Mines area of operation, Trustco Resources is confident that the geo-economic potential within EL 07/2015 will achieve the initial expectations,” it said.
“Thus, notwithstanding Meya Mine starting off as a greenfield exploration programme, the plan is to establish an optimal mine configuration that will enable Trustco Resources to evaluate the geo-economic potential of the resource within the exploration license, but then also to transition into trial mining immediately after phase 1 of the exploration programme has been completed.”
Meanwhile, Trustco said it had temporarily suspended diamond mining at the Northern Namibia Development Company (NNDC), as well diamond polishing operations at Morse Investments, pending the granting of a long-awaited mining licence by the mines ministry.
NNDC received a preparedness to grant letter for mining licence 156 from the mines ministry on 25 October 2017.
The mining licence was among other things conditional to approval of an environmental clearance certificate which in turn required a scoping study and an environmental management programme.

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