BHP starts production ahead of schedule at Koala underground
by Jo Black
BHP Billiton’s third underground diamond mine, the Koala Underground Project at Ekati in northern Canada, has been constructed safely, ahead of schedule and under budget.
First kimberlite production followed the inaugural blast which was successfully achieved on 4 October 2007, five weeks ahead of schedule and the main conveyor was commissioned on 9 December 2007, four [...]
True North Gems recovers 139 carat sapphire from new Baffin Island discovery
by Jo BlackTrue North Gems announces the discovery of a new sapphire prospect, named the Kikturiaq (Mosquito) occurrence, on its Beluga sapphire property located near the hamlet of Kimmirut, on the south coast of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. The samples collected from the surface exposure included several sapphires. The largest is a near-complete crystal weighing [...]
Namakwa Diamonds listed on the London Stock Exchange
by Jo BlackSouth African alluvial diamond-miner and diamond business company, Namakwa Diamonds, listed on the main board of the London Stock Exchange, as it raised about £90,71-million through its initial public offering, to fund new mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo DRC and Namibia.
The diamond company has priced its initial public offering at 181 pence a [...]
Suashish Diamond to invest $60M for cutting centre in Botswana
by Jo BlackAn Indian diamond company, Suashish Diamond (SDL), has plans to open a $60-million diamond cutting and polishing centre in Botswana.
Suashish, which is currently one of India’s largest exporters of diamonds, was recently named a Botswana Diamond Trading Company sight holder, the only Indian company to place on the list.
The company said that the facilities in [...]
Stornoway recovers 21 carat stone from 500 tonne Lynx dyke sample in Renard
by Jo Black
Stornoway Diamond Corporation provides diamond recovery results on three additional large scale samples recently acquired from the Renard project in north-central Québec, a 50:50 joint venture with SOQUEM INC.
The three samples comprise a 500 tonne trench sample extracted from the Lynx kimberlite dyke, and two additional samples collected from the Renard 3 and Renard 4 [...]
BRC Diamond enhances its Diamond Portfolio in the Democratic Republic of Congo
by Jo BlackBRC Diamond Corporation has added another 58 exploration permits to its portfolio of diamond properties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the “DRC”).
The Company now holds directly or controls through option agreements a total of 116 exploration permits (referred to as Permis de Researches (”PRs”)) covering an area of 38,140.5 square kilometres (”km²”) [...]
Israel Rough Diamond Conference Feb. 11-12
by Jo BlackIsrael’s Third International Rough Diamond Conference, to be held on February 11–12, 2008 at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv, will feature official delegations from most African diamond producing countries. This is in keeping with the Israel Diamond Institute’s (IDI) declared goal of intensifying relations between The Israeli Diamond Industry and African diamond producing [...]
Diagem’s Chapadao diamonds low in Nitrogen
by Jo BlackDiagem Inc. reports the results of a diamond study on the Company’s Chapadão cluster of kimberlite pipes in the Juina Diamond Province, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The study reveals that a large proportion of the Juina diamonds are low nitrogen or nitrogen-free and therefore are excellent candidates for colour and/clarity improvements through ‘High Pressure High [...]
Diamond exhibition in China
by Jo BlackA diamond exhibition at Zhuzhou in Central China’s Hunan Province is attracting visitors. A diamond worth about US$1.19 million is on display.
Reports reaching here from China suggest that the most valuable diamond on display, which is from Antwerp, Belgium, has been ordered by a Taiwan resident.
Two hundred diamonds with a total cost [...]
India’s GJEPC organized first ever Indo-China buyer seller meet
by Jo Black
As many as 21 major Indian diamond companies participated last week at the Indo-China buyer seller meet and displayed their merchandise to the buyers from all over china & also had one on one meeting with major Chinese importers.
The first ever Indo-China buyer seller meet was organized from 3rd - 5th December 2007 at Grand [...]
IDL brings World’s most exclusive fancy colored diamonds
by Jo BlackInternational Diamond Laboratories (IDL) will showcase the Rainbow Collection at the Dubai International Jewellery Week, held at the Dubai World Trade Center from 11 to 15 December. This unique collection of 300 fancy colored diamonds is showcased for the first time in Dubai. Eddy Elzas, the man behind the Rainbow Collection, will comment on the [...]
Tahera updates its proposed refinancing plan
by Jo BlackTahera Diamond Corporation provides an update on its refinancing activities.
Tahera has obtained receipt for a preliminary prospectus in connection with its previously announced Rights Offering (the “Rights Offering”). Tahera is working on clearing its prospectus for final filing as soon as possible for a Rights Offering of approximately $36.7 million.
Tahera also has entered into an [...]
Major Drilling grows revenue by 53% to a record $156.1 million
by Jo BlackMajor Drilling Group International Inc. reported results for its second quarter of fiscal year 2008, which ended October 31, 2007.
Highlights
Cullinan Mine New Order Right
by Jo BlackPetra Diamonds Limited (’Petra’) announces that the South African Department of Minerals and Energy (’DME’) has converted the old order mining right in respect of the Cullinan Diamond Mine (’Cullinan’) into a new order mining right.
On 22 November 2007 Petra, as a member of the Petra Diamonds Cullinan Consortium(’PDCC’), entered into an agreement with De [...]
Helzberg Diamonds Launches Ratings & Reviews from Bazaarvoice
by Jo BlackBazaarvoice, the market and technology leader in hosted social commerce applications that drive sales, announces that Helzberg Diamond has launched Bazaarvoice Ratings & Reviews. Helzberg Diamonds, a recognized name in the fine jewelry business since 1915, now allows its loyal customers to share their experiences and opinions on thousands of fine jewelry products to ensure [...]
Additional Microdiamond Results from Kayuu Kimberlite Confirm Diamond Potential of New Kimberlite Field at Nanuq
by Jo BlackPeregrine Diamonds Ltd. announces that additional microdiamond results from the plus five hectare Kayuu kimberlite pipe which confirm the diamond potential of the newly discovered kimberlite field at the Nanuq property, Nunavut, Canada.
A total of 194 diamonds (>0.075mm) were recovered from this latest aliquot of 253.35 kilograms of kimberlite. This is in addition to the [...]
Lonrho Mining completes A$4 million european institutional placement ahead of AIM listing
by Jo Black
Australian based diamond exploration and development company Lonrho Mining Limited has successfully raised A$3,944,282 through the placing of 14,086,750 fully paid ordinary shares (at an issue price of A$0.28 per share) to a number of significant European based institutional investors.
The Placement follows a recently completed roadshow in London and Europe where a strong level of [...]
Petra Diamonds updates Angolan operations
by Jo BlackFurther to the announcement of 19 November 2007, Petra Diamonds Limited (’Petra’) announces that operations at Project Alto Cuilo and Project Luangue (where Petra and BHP Billiton are in joint venture) have been resumed.
Petra Diamonds is a diamond mining group focused on the exploration, mining and beneficiation of diamonds in Africa. Petra’s strategy is to [...]