| What is Diamond? | | | | ($ m) Botswana 26,416 2,194 Russia 20,500 1,650 |
| Diamond is a colourless exceptionally hard mineral (but | | | | South Africa 11,301 1,145 Angola 5,871 803 D.R. Congo |
| often tinted yellow, orange, blue, brown, or black by | | | | 19,637 496 Canada 3,685 531 Namibia 1,502 322 |
| impurities), found in certain igneous rocks esp. the | | | | Australia 26,070 294 Guinea 754 128 Sierra Leone 375 |
| kimberlites of South Africa. It is used as a gemstone, | | | | 68 Central Africa Republic 614 92 Venezuela 325 41 |
| as anabrasive, and on the working edges of cutting | | | | Tanzania 191 28 Brazil 550 22 Liberia 155 23 Ivory |
| tools. Composition: carbon. Formula: C. Crystal | | | | Coast 145 17 China 150 15 Ghana 450 11 Lesotho 20 4 |
| structure: cubic. Name derived from the Greek | | | | Guyana 20 2 |
| adamas meaning invincible. Relative density 3.50- 3.52. | | | | Total 110,176 7,253 *Source: Mining Journal, London, |
| Cleavage eminent along octahedral faces. Fracture | | | | August 23, 2002 |
| conchoidal. Tenacity brittle. Lustre brilliantly adamantine. | | | | Current Annual Production at World's Major Mines, |
| Refractive index 2.417- 2.419. Birefringence and | | | | 2001 |
| pleochroism: none (cubic). Dispersion strong 0.044. | | | | Country |
| Diamond crystals form as cubes, octahedra , the most | | | | Carats Tonnes US$/carat Value (‘000) (‘000) |
| common gem form, and dodecahedra. Colourless to | | | | ($ m) |
| yellow diamonds which have a strong absorbtion line in | | | | Canada |
| the violet end of the spectrum are members of the | | | | Ekati 3,685 3,685 144 531 |
| Cape series. Where is it found?The most famous | | | | Botswana |
| diamond bearing country is South Africa. The first | | | | Jwaneng 12,339 8,920 110 1,357 Orapa 13,056 15,779 50 |
| diamond was reported in 1866. By 1869 an 83.5 carat | | | | 653 Letlhakane 1,021 3,625 180 184 |
| diamond had been found and was named The Star of | | | | South Africa |
| Africa. It was subsequently cut into a pear shape | | | | Venetia 4,977 4,602 85 423 Namaqualand 808 6,083 |
| brilliant weighing 47.74 carats. The Golconda area of | | | | 180 145 Finsch 2,465 4,768 70 173 Premier 1,637 3,102 |
| Southern India has been the source of somefamous | | | | 75 123 Kimberley 550 3,766 110 61 Baken 65 5,835 400 |
| diamonds such as the Koh-i-nor (mountain of light | | | | 26 Koffiefontein 145 2,299 225 33 |
| 186cts cut to 108.92 cts and now in the Tower of | | | | Russia |
| London) and Jehangir. Diamond is widespread in Brazil, | | | | Udachnaya 11,500 9,000 85 978 Jubilee 5,500 9,100 65 |
| most stones being small but of good gem quality. | | | | 358 |
| Alluvial diamonds have been found in most states of | | | | Australia |
| the USA. White and fancy coloured diamonds such as | | | | Argyle 26,000 15,100 11 286 Merlin 70 270 110 8 |
| pinks and pinkish browns are mined at Argyle in North | | | | Namibia |
| Western Australia. Other important producers are | | | | Namdeb Onshore 1,385 21,867 220 305 |
| Russia, now the fourth largest producer, and China. | | | | **Source: Mining Journal, London, August 23, 2002 |
| By weight the top ten producers in 1994 were: By | | | | How diamonds are formed? |
| Value The top ten were: Australia Botswana Zaire | | | | Diamond is formed at great depth in the earth, |
| Russia Botswana South Africa Russia Zaire South | | | | between 150 and 300 km below the surface and at |
| Africa Australia South America Namibia Angola | | | | great temperatures and pressures. By a kind of |
| Angola Namibia South America Ghana Guinea Guinea | | | | volcanic eruption the diamonds were pushed up |
| Sierra Leone | | | | through volcanic pipes of diamond bearing rock such |
| Estimated 2001 Diamond Production by Country | | | | as kimberlite. With gradual erosion kimberlite chimneys |
| Country Carats | | | | were exposed at the earths surface. |
| (‘000) Value | | | | |