Famous Diamond Mines

Executive Summary about Diamond Mines by Lawrence Reaves

The discovery of diamonds in 1867 in the Cape Colony of South Africa had a profound effect on the world’s supply of diamonds. Scientists learned that diamonds came from volcanoes. South Africa still maintains its position as the major diamond producer but there are other famous mines located in other areas.

In North America the oldest and most famous diamond mine is the Crater of Diamonds. De Beers Consolidated Mines are located in several African countries. The De Beers companies make up about 40% of the world’s diamond production.

The Kimberley Diamond Mines are known worldwide and are located in the town of Kimberley, South Africa. In 1866 Erasmus Jacobs discovered a small stone by the Orange River. It turned out that is stone was a 21.25 carat diamond.

The Williamson Diamond Mine, which is also known as the Mwadui Mine is located in Tanzania. It was the first significant diamond mine outside of South Africa. It is an operating pit mine and mainly produces diamond carats.

The Ekati Diamond Mine is Canada’s first diamond mine. It is only accessible by air except for 10 weeks each year when it can be reached by icy roads.

The Kollur Diamond Mine is located in Guntur District Golkonda, India. The Indian mines were eventually depleted and the diamond center shifted to Brazil where new diamond pipes were discovered.

Famous Diamond Mines

Executive Summary about Diamond Mines by Julie Shields

At the time of this writing there are no commercial diamond mines operating in the U.S. Today, there is one non-commercial (that is, unowned by any private company) diamond mining site in operation in the U.S.: Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. There have been many famous diamond discoveries at this location throughout the decades, including the 40.23 carat Uncle Same diamond discovered at the Park in 1924.

The following are the world’s currently active commercial diamond mine locations: Angola (three mines), Botswana (four), South Africa (eight), Congo (one), Zimbabwe (one), Tanzania (one), Lesotho (one), Russia (five), India (four), Canada (six), Australia (three).

Artisinal mining is also called small-scale mining. This is what is typically used in poor areas and the people who do the mining are called “diamond diggers” who use their hands and very basic tools like shovels and sieves to find diamonds.

Hard rock mining involves creating underground diamond mines featuring “stopes”, or underground rooms that are supported by natural underground pillars.

Marine mining is a relatively new form of diamond mining which hasn’t even been around for 20 years yet. Offshore placer deposits are mined for diamonds; huge drills up to seven meters in diameter are used to drill down into the seabed and suck up the underwater material that contains the diamonds.

Open pit mining is used when the surface material, or “overburden”, that covers the diamond deposits is thin and prospectors find diamonds or what are called kimberlite pipes near or on the surface of an area.

If diamonds are found within alluvial, colluvial, or eluvial secondary deposits, Placer Mining is used for extracting them.

Check out my other guide on Diamond Wedding Ring and Conflict Diamonds

Origin Of The Diamonds

By Woro Swasti

diamond mining

Diamond is the hardest substance on earth ever known. It is the stone that has a very bright sparkle, more than any other gemstones. Diamond is originated from the diamond mine in different places all over the world.

According to wikipedia, diamonds are mined approximately 130 million carats annually. This amount is equal to 26,000 kg and a total value of about USD $9 billion.

Diamonds are originating from the deep of the earth, with high pressures and temperatures that can form the diamond crystals. The cristals of diamonds are mined from kimberlite and lamproite volcanic pipes, that bring them to the surface.

Diamonds have been known by people in India for thousands of years, most likely 6000 years. This is the place where diamonds first recognized and mined.

Until today, diamonds are mined in Canada, India, Russia, Brazil, Australia, and Africa. About 49% of diamonds came from diamond mines in central and southern Africa.

Of all the diamonds that are mined, only about 20% are used as jewelry gemstones. The other 80%, this is equal to 100 million carats or 20,000 kg per year, are for industrial use. This is because many of the diamonds do not fit the category of gemstone’s characteristics, such as clarity and color.

To overcome the lack of the mined diamonds, people create the synthetic diamonds. About 100,000 kg diamonds are synthesized annually.

The increasing popularity of the diamond caused some groups to take control of diamond mining in central African and west African countries. The diamonds that came from these operations are called conflict diamonds or blood diamonds. The diamond business continue contributing to war in those places, as well as human right abuse.

It was not until 2002, when the Kimberley Process was introduced. The diamonds from the Kimberley Process are not obtained from the revolutionary activities of conflict diamonds area. They providing documentation and certification of diamond exports to ensure the statement. However, there are still conflict diamonds even for today. The diamonds traded today are about 2 – 3% possible conflict diamonds.