Africa focused miner Gem Diamonds has unearthed a 172.06 ct Type II white diamond at its prolific Letšeng mine in Lesotho, just days after another major find.
The diamond, recovered on June 2nd, is the seventh greater than 100 carat precious stone recovered this year at the operation, the company said.
Type IIa diamonds are the most valued and collectable precious gemstones, as they contain either very little or no nitrogen atoms in their crystal structure.
The Letšeng mine is one of the world’s ten largest diamond operations by revenue. At 3,100 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level, it is also one of the world’s most elevated diamond mines.
Diamond miners are going through a rough patch as US and Chinese demand for diamond jewellery continues to be weak and the popularity of cheaper laboratory grown diamonds continues to rise.
In 2015, man made diamonds had barely made an appearance as a competitor to natural diamonds. By last year, these stones accounted for more than 10% of the global diamond jewelry market, according to industry specialist Paul Zimnisky.
The market values of small to medium diamond mining companies, including Canada’s Lucara, South Africa’s Petra, and Gem Diamonds itself, are around $100 million or less. This is only about a third or a fourth of the price the large stones they aim to find may be worth.
De Beers Group announced late last week that it will be suspending production of diamonds for jewelry at its Lightbox factory in Gresham, Oregon, pivoting instead to industrial diamonds for technology applications.
The company made the announcement Friday, in the midst of the Las Vegas jewelry trade shows.
The lab-grown pivot is part of a broader new strategy called “Origins,” which is designed to grow desire for natural diamonds while cutting costs.
In an interview with National Jeweler on Friday, De Beers CEO Al Cook elaborated on the decision, including on the future of Lightbox, the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand De Beers launched six years ago.
“Element Six used to produce diamonds because they were hard and they could be used industrially,” he said. “Now, with the price of synthetic diamonds coming down, it opens up this amazing set of technological activities. We’re in partnership with … a number of high-tech companies looking at how you use diamonds as components in the digital era.
“That bit for us is really exciting. And that’s where the future of synthetic diamonds lies for us.”
Despite the transition at the factory, Cook said Lightbox will continue as a brand, drawing upon existing stock for the immediate future.
“At the moment, we’ve got a lot of stones available to Lightbox. Production will continue for a few months to ensure that they’ve got a stock of beautiful lab-grown diamond stones they can sell.”
After Lightbox depletes its existing stock, “we’ll see where the brand goes and we’ll see what happens,” Cook said. “I think it’s too early to say.”
De Beers announced the launch of the Lightbox lab-grown diamond brand during the Las Vegas shows in 2018.
At first, De Beers was growing the diamonds for Lightbox at its Element Six facility in the United Kingdom.
In October 2020, it opened its $94 million Lightbox factory in Gresham, a Portland suburb.
In an attempt to control the direction of the lab-grown diamond market, De Beers set an $800/carat price structure for the line.
It also marketed Lightbox as jewelry for less-special special occasions, like Sweet 16s or graduations, not milestones like engagements or anniversaries, which, it posits, should be celebrated with natural diamonds.
Since the line’s launch six years ago, lab-grown diamond prices have dropped precipitously. Lightbox cut its prices by as much as 40 percent last month.
Cook said De Beers expects the trend to continue.
“For a lot of retailers out there, the incentive to sell natural [diamonds] and the incentive to sell lab-grown are reversed. There was a period of time, a year-plus ago, when retailers got more of a margin sometimes from selling lab-grown diamonds.
“They were cheap to manufacture, and they could be sold as near-equivalents to natural diamonds. We didn’t do that in De Beers Group. We made very clear through Lightbox that these were two entirely different propositions,” he said.
“Not everyone followed our approach. It is now very clear that for all the retailers I can speak to here at JCK, the margin you get by selling a natural diamond is far greater than the margin that you get by selling a lab-grown diamond. It’s also clear that the gap is going to grow rather than shrink. We expect the price of lab-grown diamonds to go down and down, to continue collapsing.”
As it transitions production at the Lightbox factory in Gresham, De Beers announced Friday that it also will be consolidating its Element Six chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond-growing facilities, going from three factories to the one factory in Oregon.
Lab grown diamonds are a threat to Botswana’s economic lifeblood, says the country’s president Mokgweetsi Masisi.
He was speaking to reporters on Wednesday (29 May) ahead of the first phase in a $6bn project to extend the life of Jwaneng, its flagship diamond mine.
“If lab grown diamonds take our space, then you and I are finished,” he said. He pledged to wage “a peaceful assault against lab grown diamonds, to give confidence to our partners and dampen any attraction to lab growns.”
He was departing for JCK in Las Vegas, where he also said he’d be lobbying the US over G7 sanctions on Russia that route all EU diamonds through a single entry point in Antwerp.
Meanwhile work is about to start to start of the first phase of the Jwaneng development, a establish a drilling platform at a cost of $1bn.
It began commercial operation in 1982 as an open pit operation run by Debswana, a 50:50 joint venture between De Beers and the Botswana government.
Open pit operations are expected to end in 2032 but underground mining could extend Jwaneng’s life to 2050 or beyond.
It currently represents about 40 per cent of De Beers total production (10.3m carats in 2022).
Three quarters of Debswana’s production is currently sold by De Beers. But under a new deal agreed last June, the state-owned Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) will see its share increase over the next decade from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.
Africa focused miner Gem Diamonds has unearthed a 212.9 carat Type II white diamond at its prolific Letšeng mine in Lesotho, less than a month after a previous major find.
The diamond, recovered on May 28th, is the sixth greater than 100-carat precious stone recovered this year at the operation, the company said.
Type IIa diamonds are the most valued and collectable precious gemstones, as they contain either very little or no nitrogen atoms in their crystal structure. Boart diamonds are stones of low quality that are used in powder form as an abrasive.
The Letšeng mine is one of the world’s ten largest diamond operations by revenue. At 3,100 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level, it is also one of the world’s most elevated diamond mines.
Diamond miners are going through a rough patch as US and Chinese demand for diamond jewellery continues to be weak and the popularity of cheaper laboratory grown diamonds continues to rise.
In 2015, man-made diamonds had barely made an appearance as a competitor to natural diamonds. By last year, these stones accounted for more than 10% of the global diamond jewelry market, according to industry specialist Paul Zimnisky.
The market values of small to medium diamond mining companies, including Canada’s Lucara (TSX: LUC), South Africa’s Petra (LON: PDL), and Gem Diamonds itself, are around $100 million or less. This is only about a third or a fourth of the price the large stones they aim to find may be worth.
Earlier this week, Priyanka Chopra attended Bulglari’s 140th anniversary event in Rome. And as a global brand ambassador, of course, she was totally decked out in diamonds.
Alongside celebrity supporters like Anne Hathaway, Chopra wore a dazzling piece from the brand’s “Aeterna High Jewelry” collection. With seven massive stones affixed to a unique, wavy choker, Chopra’s necklace was a hero piece for sure. But what made the design so special is that it’s one of the most precious (and expensive) designs the brand has ever created — at a cool 43 million dollars.
Priyanka’s Dazzling Diamonds According to Bulgari, the lavish necklace took “over 2,800 hours to complete.” Made up of 140 carats worth of diamonds, the necklace — dubbed the Serpenti Aertena — retails for a whopping 43 million dollars. The statement choker featured pear-shaped drop diamonds, the largest sitting front and center.
The intricate design was specially designed for the occasion, with its carat count symbolizing the brand’s 140 year anniversary. The entire collection is so ornate, it was unveiled at a museum — it truly doesn’t get much more iconic than that.
Paying the diamonds their due, Chopra went for a fairly simple off-the-shoulder gown by designer Del Core. A fitting choice for the fancy occasion, her custom look featured a cape-inspired detail and a peplum waist. The sweetheart neckline lent itself nicely to the accessory du jour.
Diamond exploration company Botswana Diamonds has been granted four prospecting licences – covering just under 2 332 km2 – in the Kalahari of Botswana.
The prospecting licences are in the same general area as Gem Diamonds’ Ghaghoo mine, as well as Botswana Diamonds’ own KX36 project.
“I am pleased that we have been awarded these prospecting licences in the Kalahari of Botswana, which we believe will be the next major diamond-producing area in the country.
“Exploration is a long game, particularly diamond exploration, and we believe the industry is going through a structural change which will see the natural product, particularly from Botswana, find its premium niche in world markets,” chairperson John Teeling comments.
Australia’s Gibb River Diamonds is getting closer to restarting the mothballed Ellendale diamond mine in West Kimberley after being granted three mining leases that are key for the project.
The permits mark a significant step in reviving production at Ellendale, which was a major diamond producing mine. The operation was particularly know for being a source of fancy yellow diamonds, being responsible for more than 50% of the annual world’s supply until it was shut down in 2015.
As part as the reopening steps, Gibb River said it is scheduled to conduct a heritage clearance survey in the first week of June. The company is also studying financing options for the project, including debt, equity, earn-in partner, joint venture partner, a North Australian Infrastructure Fund (NAIF) partnership, or other government funding schemes available.
The exploration and development company became Ellendale’s sole owner in March last year, after acquiring the project from Burgundy Diamonds.
Shares in the company soared on the news, closing 48% higher at 37 Australian cents each. This leaves Gibb River Diamonds with a market capitalization of A$6.52 million ($4.4m).
The US is rethinking restrictions on Russian diamonds after a wave of pushback from the industry and nations heavily involved in the diamond trade, Reuters reported on Monday.
Western countries have placed stiff restrictions on Russia’s diamond trade, with fresh sanctions in December banning the gems throughout the European Union. That’s a step up from the initial sanctions, which previously allowed the trade of Russian diamonds that were polished in other countries.
Diamond traders now need to self-certify that the gems they sell are not of Russian origin. By September, diamond traders in the European Union will need to send diamonds through a certification system in Belgium before selling them.
Those measures have helped crimp Russia’s war revenue, given that the nation is one of the largest producers of diamonds in the world. Yet the US, one of the world’s largest diamond consumers, could pull back on its commitment to implement the latest restrictions, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Two sources said the US had pulled back on working with the G7 to implement the diamond ban and certifying that gems were not of Russian origin. Officials are “there but not engaging” in the discussion, one person said.
A senior White House official told Reuters the US would continue to work with the G7 on the Russian diamond ban, and that it had not changed its mind on the issue, but they noted several obstacles in enforcing the latest restrictions:
“We will want to make sure that we strike the right balance between hurting Russia and making sure that everything is implementable,” the official said.
The government has received pushback from firms and nations heavily involved in the diamond trade. Some African nations and Indian diamond polishers have complained about the latest restrictions, warning that the ban was faulty in its design and could raise problems in the industry. Diamond prices could also rise due to scarcer supply, they warned.
Virginia Drosos, the CEO of Signet, asked the US government to “stand against … the G7 Belgian solution,” according to a letter seen by Reuters.
De Beers, one of the world’s largest diamond miners, said it supported a ban on Russian diamonds but wants diamonds to be verified at the source of production, rather than in Belgium.
“The opportunities for, and likelihood, of Russian diamonds infiltrating the legitimate supply chain are in fact higher when you move further away from the source,” it told Reuters.
Anglo American, the $30.7 billion British multinational mining company, just announced plans to divest De Beers, its diamond mining and jewelry subsidiary. Ango American holds an 85% interest in De Beers and the government of Botswana owns the minority share.
“Anglo American is now exploring the full range of options to separate the business in order to set it up for success in unlocking full value, “ Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad said in a presentation earlier this week. “This will give both Anglo American and De Beers a new level of strategic flexibility to maximize value for both company’s shareholders.”
Anglo American is fighting a takeover bid from BHP Group, reported by Reuters to be the world’s largest mining company. In a move to shore up the company’s overall value, Anglo American will focus on its cooper, premium iron ore and crop nutrients businesses. Also slated to be divested is its Anglo American Platinum business, both of which will bring profound changes to the roughly $300 billion global jewelry industry.
Advising that Anglo American is considering a number of options for De Beers, be it a sale or IPO, and that it is still working through logistics with Botswana, Wanblad said, “It is a great business and it has fantastic assets and it has an exceptional brands. And therefore on that basis, it really deserves to be together on that set of criteria. How we do this is going to be a journey.”
De Beers CEO Al Cook is more than ready for the next phase of that journey. “For 124 of our 136 years of existence, Anglo American didn’t own the majority of De Beers,” he shared in an exclusive interview from Botswana. Anglo American acquired its majority stake in 2011.
Australia’s Lucapa Diamond (ASX: LOM) has put its 70% stake in the Mothae mine in Lesotho up for sale to focus on its core assets and is discussing options for the 30% held by the country’s government.
The diamond miner’s board said it was “considering all options for the divestment” and finalizing a data room for interested parties.
“The company’s collaboration with the Lesotho government on the Mothae diamond mine has been rewarding and our management have worked exceptionally well to optimize the plant to recover large diamonds,” Brown noted, adding Lucapa expects there will be “significant interest” from those within the diamond industry and on a wider scale.
Production at Mothae, which the Perth-based company acquired in early 2017, began commercial operations almost six years ago. The open pit mine is known to produce large, high-value diamonds, which makes the operation the world’s second highest-dollar-per-carat kimberlite diamond mine.
According to Lucapa’s December 2023 figures, the mine has 180,000 carats of indicated resources and 960,000 carats of inferred resources, with a calculated value of $606 per carat.
Lucapa finds another +100ct diamond at Lesotho mine A 101 carat D-colour Type IIa white diamond found at Mothae. (Image courtesy of Lucapa Diamond.) Mothae is located only 5km from Gem Diamonds’ (LON:GEMD) Letšeng, the world’s highest dollar-per-carat kimberlite diamond mine.
Lucapa also has a 40% stake in the prolific Lulo mine in Angola and is involved in exploration projects in Angola, Australia and Botswana.
Diamond miners have faced a number of significant challenges in recent years, including an excess of stockpiles that has forced top producers to decrease production and lower prices.
