Nosiphiwo Mzamo: South Africa’s State Diamond Trader to buy diamonds from other African countries

South Africa’s State Diamond Trader (SDT) is set to buy diamonds from other African countries starting with Botswana. SDT’s chief executive Nosiphiwo Mzamo told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa at the country’s inaugural diamond show, which...

10 february 2025

Edahn Golan: Halo effect from lab-grown diamonds driving high demand for large, 2-carat natural stones in the U.S.

Edahn Golan, owner of the eponymous Edahn Golan Diamond Research and Data, told Rough & Polished's Mathew Nyaungwa in an exclusive interview that their research found a halo effect from lab-grown diamonds. He said the trend among lab-grown diamond...

27 january 2025

Paul Zimnisky: We will see a modest recovery in natural diamond demand and prices in 2025

According to Paul Zimnisky, an independent diamond and jewellery analyst and consultant based in the New York metro area, the natural diamond industry will see a modest recovery in demand and prices this year. Zimnisky said a moderate recovery would...

13 january 2025

African Diamond Council makes traceability its top priority, wants KP to embrace Authentia.io

The African Diamond Council (ADC) has made traceability its foremost priority and has been contributing to a traceability solution called Authentia.io for the last three and a half years, which is now ready to globally satisfy the traceability...

16 december 2024

Gaetano Cavalieri: CIBJO leading the jewelry industry on critical issues

One of the gem and jewellery industry’s most well-known and respected personalities, Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, has been the president of the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), for the past 23 years. CIBJO is the oldest international organisation...

09 december 2024

ZCCM-IH investee company Maamba receives lithium exploration licences in Zambia

10 july 2024

ZCCM Investments says its investee company, Maamba Collieries (MCL), has been granted two large-scale exploration licences for lithium and other minerals (amethyst, aquamarine, tantalum and tin) in the Southern Province of Zambia.

MCL plans to start exploration “as soon as possible” to determine the presence of the minerals in the licence areas.

ZCCM-IH said the licences are valid for four years, during which period MCL plans to conduct detailed exploration to establish the presence of mineable resources of the various minerals and subsequently proceed to determine the “quantum of resources and reserves if applicable.”

Lithium is part of the critical battery metals that ZCCM-IH has planned to explore in its 2020–2026 strategic plan, it said.

“As such, the granting of the two licences to its investee company contributes to the strategy to diversify the company's mineral commodity base,” said ZCCM-IH.

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