TSX listed Pangolin Diamonds Corp. said a percussion drill programme was completed in August at its wholly-owned Motloutse Diamond Project that is located 150 km east of the Orapa Diamond Mine in Botswana. According to the company, the material of interest has been analysed by laboratories in Canada who have confirmed no kimberlite(s) was intersected. “The results from the drilling allowed for the elimination of certain types of magnetic anomalies to be excluded from future exploration programmes providing for a more focused target selection,” stated Pangolin Diamonds. However, the company said it still remains optimistic about locating kimberlite in…
Author: Editor
Millennials spent more than US$25 billion on diamond jewellery in 2015 in the four largest consumer markets, acquiring more than any other generation, according to The Diamond Insight Report 2016, published by The De Beers Group of Companies. Despite Millennials (those aged 15-34 in 2015) facing more financial challenges than their parents’ generation, they already account for almost half of the total retail value of new diamond jewellery acquired in the four largest markets – the US, China, Japan and India. In the top four markets, which account for 73 per cent of global diamond jewellery demand, the potential Millennial market…
Investing in African Mining Indaba, the world’s largest mining investment event, today announced the appointment of Alex Grose as Managing Director of Mining Indaba, effective 10 October. Alex, formerly commercial director at Capacity Media (a division of Euromoney, the parent company of Mining Indaba) will succeed Jonathan Moore who is leaving the event after nearly nine years at its helm. Jonathan Moore, who will leave to pursue a new career path with a US consumer brand, said Grose will be joining Mining Indaba at a great point in its history with what is arguably the best events teams in the…
The TSX listed A-Cap Resources Limited has been granted a mining licence by Botswana government which clears way for the construction of the first uranium mine in the diamond rich country. A-Cap said in a filing that it has received formal confirmation from the Department of Mines that its application for a mining licence for the Letlhakane Uranium Project (PL045/2004) was successfully approved. “The mining licence was signed by the Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MMEWR), his Honourable Onkokame Kitso Mokaila (MP) and takes effect from 12 September 2016, valid for 22 years,” Managing Director of A-Cap Resources,…
Gahcho Kué, the world’s largest new diamond mine under construction, will provide a C$6.7 billion boost to the Canadian economy according to a report published by EY for The De Beers Group of Companies. The new mine, located in the Northwest Territories (NWT), is a joint venture between De Beers Canada (51 per cent) and Mountain Province Diamonds (49 per cent). Set to open officially later this month, it is expected to produce approximately 54 million carats of rough diamonds over its lifetime, reinforcing Canada’s position as the world’s third largest diamond producer by value. Underpinned by a C$1 billion capital…
The potential sale of Firestone Diamonds plc’s Botswana assets to Canadian miner Tango Mining Limited has hit a major stumbling block after the sale disposal date elapsed. The AIM-quoted Firestone said therefore the sale will not go ahead. “Firestone Diamonds plc….. has been informed by Tango Mining Limited (“Tango Mining”) that it has not been able to meet the conditions of the conditional sale agreement (“CSA”) by 9 September 2016 (the “Revised Drop Dead Date”), for the disposal of the Company’s Botswana operations to Tango Mining (the “Disposal”),” the diamond development company said in a filing. “Accordingly, the CSA has lapsed and the…
The AIM-listed Botswana Diamonds (BOD) said the next stage exploration will begin on its Joint Venture with Alrosa at the end of September in the Orapa and Gope areas of Botswana. According to the diamond explorer; the four core holes will be drilled in Gope on PL 135, two core holes will be drilled on kimberlite AK22 on PL 260 in Orapa while two core holes will be drilled on PL 085 in Orapa. It added that an intensive programme of geophysics and soil sampling will be carried out on the 4 other licences held in Gope while the Alrosa team…
MOD Resources Ltd, the ASX listed exploration company has announced further positive assay results from drilling within the Phase 1 resource area at T3, which is part of a joint venture with AIM-listed Metal Tiger Plc (30%) in the Kalahari Copper Belt, Botswana. According to MOD, assays were received in two batches from seven holes (MO-G-33D to MO-G-39D), mainly located in the northern part of the T3 Phase 1 resource area. Five of the latest holes intersected significant widths of copper and silver, similar to previously announced intersections in this area. Two shallow holes (MO-G-38D and MO-G-39D) located near…
De Beers, the global rough diamond major sold more stones in their last cycle as sightholders stocked ahead of the holiday season. The leading world producer and subsidiary of Anglo American recorded $630 million in rough sales during Cycle 7 of the year, which was better than the $528 million recorded in Cycle 6. The miner attributed the rise in sales to demand from their clients as they prepare for a season where cutters make more money as consumers spend more. “We saw healthy demand for our rough diamonds in Cycle 7,” De Beers Group Chief Executive Officer, Bruce Cleaver…
The International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR), which is part of the De Beers Group of Companies, says it will unveil the latest addition to its suite of synthetic detection technology at the forthcoming Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair between 14 and 18 September 2016. The new instrument, PhosView™, is a compact, self-contained screening device designed to allow parcels of polished stones to be quickly and accurately analysed to determine if they contain potential High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) synthetics. During analysis, colourless and near-colourless stones in the 0.003 carat (one third of a point, or 0.9mm) to…