Diamond Mines and Miners of the World
You might be surprised to learn just how many diamond mines there are in the world.
There are just fewer than 40 diamond mines in the world currently. Around 11, such as the Argyle Diamond mine in Western Australia (The larges) are big mines but the majority are small as mines go.
Some are alluvial mines, which is to say where diamonds can be found on the surface having been exposed by erosion due to weather or water.
The rest are either open pit or cut with some underground.
Most of the diamonds produced are industrial grade. That is to say, they are unsuitable for jewelry as the quality of the diamond is too inferior. But they are excellent as diamond cutters in industry to cut hard substances such as steel. However laser is now replacing many diamond cutters even when it comes to cutting diamonds themselves.
Here is a list by country.
Angola
Catoca Diamond Mine. This the fourth largest diamond mine in world.
Fucauma Diamond Mine. Newly constructed and open just a few years. 40 percent owned by Endiama and 35 percent by Trans Hex.
The Luarica Diamond Mine is also 70 percent owned by Endiama and Trans Hex collectively
The Luzamba Diamond Mine is Angola’s largest alluvial mine and Endiama own a 50 percent slive of that too with Odebrecht owning the other 50 percent.
Damtshaa Diamond Mine is a open pit mine owned by De Beers.
The Jwaneng Diamond Mine is the richest mine in world and also owned byDe Beers.
The Letlhakane Diamond Mine is another De Beers mine.
And the Orapa Diamond Mine is the largest and oldest of four owned by, you guessed in, DeBeers/Botswana.
Congo (DROC or RDC)
Bakwanga Mine: (aka Bushimaïe, Lubilash) An alluvial river mine.
Forminière Diamond Mine. Also an alluvial mine located on the River Tshikapa, in Kasaï
Lesotho
The Letseng Diamond Mine is an open-cast mine in the Maluti Mountains 70 km from Mokhotlong.
Namibia
Elizabeth Bay Mine. An open-cast mine in the Namib desert, just south of Lüderitz. Namdeb.
Orange River (Daberas) Mines. A collection of small Orange River alluvium mines in . Namdeb Namib Gov.
Marine Mining. Diamond mining on the sea bed. Namco Mining operates a dredging fleet off the west coast of Namibia.
Sierra Leone
Magna Egoli Mine. This is the largest mechanized mine in Sierra Leone.
The Koidu-Sefadu Mines are sSubsistence digging in alluvium pits west of Koidu.
And the Koidu Open Pit Mines takes advantage of a Kimberlite pipe just south of Koidu. map
South Africa
The Baken Diamond Mine is located along the Orange River in North Cape. Owned by Trans Hex.
The Cullinan Diamond Mine. Probably one of the more famous diamond mines. This is an open Pit/Hard Rock diamond mine once owned by De Beers but now owned by Petra Diamonds.
Finsch Diamond Mine, also owned by De Beers is an open-pit mine not far from Lime Acres.
One of the oldest diamond mines is the Kimberley Diamond Mine. Mining operations started in but the Kimberley Open Pits were closed in 2005.
The Koffiefontein Diamond Mine opened in 1870 and closed in 2006.
The Oaks Diamond Mine. Located in the Limpopo province this is an open-pit mine also operated by De Beers.
The Venetia Diamond Mine is a high producing mine with over 40 percent of the worlds diamonds produced there.
Tanzania
Williamson Diamond Mine. Another open cut owned mostly by De Beers.
Zimbabwe
Murowa Diamond Mine. Open Pit and Underground. 75% owned by De Beers.
River Ranch Diamond Mine is another Open Pit and Underground mine. Also mostly owned by De Beers.
Australia
Argyle Diamond Mine based in the Kimberley is owned by Rio Tinto Ltd is the largest producer of diamonds in world today. They produce mostly industrial grade diamonds but also produce the majority of the much sought after pink diamonds.
Borneo
Cempaka Diamond Mines and based in Cempaka/Riam Kanan, South Kalimantan and the alluvial diamonds are mined by indigenous artisanal Kalimantan miners.
Canada
Diavik Diamond Mine. The Diavik diamond mine is located in the NWT.
The Ekati Diamond Mine, also located in NWT was Canada’s first diamond mining operation.
India
Panna Diamond Mine. An alluvial mine in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Russia
Aikhal GOK Mine is a collection of three open-pit kimberlite pipe mines: Aikhal, Jubilee, and Sytykan all based in Siberia
Another Siberian mine is Anabar GOK Mine. This is in the northern most location of Russia’s diamond mines.
Jubilee (Yubileinaya) Mine. A newer open-pit kimberlite mine close to Udachny. Alrosa.
The Mirna Mine is the largest diamond deposit in Russia.
Udachnaya (Udachny) Pipe Mine is one of the deepest diamond mines in the world.
USA
Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas. Mostly for tourists although some larger jewelry quality stones have been found there
Kelsey Lake Diamond Mine, Colorado
Principle Diamond Mining Companies
Some of the principle diamond mining companies include:
ALROSA, operates mainly in Russia.
BHP Billiton, 80% owner of the Ekati mine as well as many other mineral mines, iron ore and other metals.
Camphor, 4.9% owner of Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project.
De Beers, probably the most famous diamond miner and owner of 20 mines in Africa, 70% owner of the Northwest Territories Snap Lake Diamond Mine Project, 100% owner of Ontario’s Victor Diamond Mine Project, 60% owner of the Northwest Territories’ Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project and participant in numerous joint ventures worldwide. A finger in many diamond ‘pies’. Also now have their own retail stores around the world.
Debswana, a partnership between De Beers and the government of Botswana.
Endiama, the national diamond-mining company in Angola and exclusive concessionaire
Harry Winston Diamond Corporation, a 40% owner of the Diavik mine.
Petra Diamonds, operates in five African countries, mines include the Cullinan, Koffiefontein and Williamson mines, also the sole operator of the Alto Cuilo project in Angola.
Rio Tinto Group, partial owner of Argyle, Diavik (60%), and Murowa diamond mines.
Tahera Diamond, owner of the Jericho mine in Canada.
A separate write up will be forthcoming on the principle diamond miners around the world over the coming months.