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

Zimbabwe mining investments conference set for end of February

15 january 2018

Zimbabwe is set to convene a mining investments conference late next month as it tries to build a future without former president Robert Mugabe, who was elbowed out last November in a de-facto military coup.
The event, organised by Mining Report, would run from 27 to 28 February in the capital, Harare.
“Zimbabwe is open for business,” screamed a statement issued by the organisers as they implore investors to make their way to Harare for the conference, which would be graced by government officials.
Zimbabwe had investment opportunities in diamonds, gold, platinum, coal, chrome, nickel, copper, lithium, tin, tantalite, iron ore, coal bed methane, natural gas, among other minerals.
The country had the second largest deposits of platinum in the world and was previously said to have about 30 percent of global known diamond reserves.
“About 60 percent of the country’s land is said to comprise on ancient rocks renowned worldwide for hosting rich varieties of minerals resources including platinum, diamonds, gold, base metals (for example nickel, copper, zinc and lead) and industrial minerals (limestones, phosphates, clay and dolomites),” noted Mining Report.
“Zimbabwe has a huge and highly diversified mineral resource base dominated by two prominent geological features namely the famous Great Dyke and the ancient Greenstone Belts, also known as Gold Belts.”
Zimbabwe said last month that it would amend its empowerment law, but diamonds and platinum would remain confined to the 51/49 indigenisation threshold.
Mining contributes about 50 percent of the country’s total export earnings.

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