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

Botswana Diamonds commences drilling on Thorny River, Marsfontein

20 november 2020
news_20112020_thorny_river.png
The Thorny River Project                                                                                      Image credit: Botswana Diamonds

Botswana Diamonds has commenced a multi-hole drilling programme on its Thorny River and Marsfontein project areas in South Africa.
The dual-listed diamond exploration company said the drilling commenced on four target areas identified as high interest in the recent detailed ground geophysics survey.  
The ground geophysics and drilling programmes are focused on identifying kimberlite volumes to support further development of the property.
"These target areas include a potential kimberlite 'blow' of up to 0.25Ha in extent and other expansions in the widths of the dyke system of up to 10m (as opposed to the average 1m)," it said. 
"The most widely known blow in the project area is Marsfontein, which was 0.4Ha." 
Marsfontein was mined by De Beers and SouthernEra and it achieved a return of development capital in under four days. 
The dyke system, which extends for 18km over Thorny River from Klipspringer Mine in the west through Marsfontein to Doornrivier in the east, has been demonstrated as having consistent geology and economics. 

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