Where are Diamonds Mined?

Where are diamonds mined?

Diamonds are outstanding pieces of jewelry and they can be used in a wide range of situations and locations. But what makes them stand out is the fact that you won’t find them in any other country. In fact, some countries are known to have lots of diamonds mines. Russia is home to half of the world’s biggest diamond mines. Botswana, too, houses two well-known mines.

Russia

Russia is known to hold the most diamond resources. They usually extract around 39-40 million carats of diamonds each year. One of the major mining companies in Russia is ALROSA. ALROSA holds most of the mines there. According to recent studies, Russia holds around 973 million carats in diamonds.

Australia

Australia also produces a huge range of diamonds; they are mostly specialized in color diamonds. Australia is known for the red, purple and pink diamonds; they also produce yellow diamonds. The largest Australian diamond mine is Argyle, which is operated by Rio Tinto.

Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of Africa’s largest diamond producer; this is the third largest diamond producing country in regards to volume. Due to the fact that mining is handled by the informal sector and not companies, things in Africa work differently than in other countries. Not all information in Africa is known to the public, yet we do know is that the country delivers around 9 million carats based on the MIBA Company alone.

Botswana

Botswana which is the number one leading diamond producing country when it comes to value. Botswana comes in second place when it comes to volume. Its two remarkable mines are, Jwaneng and Orapa. These two mines produce a wide array of diamonds that are unique in color, different clarities and shapes. Gem quality is very good in Botswana. It is because of this that Botswana stands out when compared to other countries.

Canada

Canada is one of the largest diamond producers in the world too. The country has 4 active mines, which include Victor, Snap Lake, Ekati, and Diavik. Canada usually delivers coated diamonds, crystals and cube shapes. You will even find brown diamonds here.

Zimbabwe

Some people state that Zimbabwe is also a good source of diamonds, yet most companies and people avoid purchasing diamonds from there. Why? Because there are regular reports of mining workers that got tortured and killed by the security forces. There are also reports of profiteering, corruption, and even illegal mining. There are big issues with smuggling involved there as well. Due to the ethical issues involved in Zimbabwe, most countries want to stay away from the diamonds produced in Zimbabawe.

One thing is certain, there are a plethora of amazing diamond mines out there, and countries like Botswana, Canada, Congo, Australia, and Russia are known to be among the top diamond producers. If you want high quality, outstanding diamonds, they are bound to come from one of these countries.