Where Diamonds are Mined

Argye mine located in the Kimberley region in the far north east of Western Australia.

Owned by Rio Tinto, this mine is the world’s largest single producer of volume of

diamonds.  However, due to low proportion of gem quality diamonds it is not the value

leader.  It does produce 90-95% of the world’s supply of pink diamonds.  

Diavik is also owned by Rio Tinto, located in Canada it is a very large mine.   It is located north of Yellowknife and south of the Artic Circle on an island.  The island is connected by an ice road.  It is also an important part of the regions economy employing more than 700 people and producing more than 8 million carats annually.

Ekati diamond mine is owned by BHP Billiton and located south of the artic circle

in the Northwest Territories of Canada.  The Ekati is Canada’s first operational

diamond mine.     Diamonds mined here are sold under the Aurias trade name  

Authenticity is verified through Canada Mark service.  CanadaMark service is also

owned by BHP Billiton Diamonds, Inc.

Baken diamond mine is located along the lower Orange River in South Africa.  It is owned and operated by Trans Hex.  The average size stone for 2004 was 1.29

carats.   In 2004, this mine produced a 78.9 carat D color flawless diamond that

sold for more than 1.8 million dollars (US), as well as a 27.67 pink diamond that was

sold for over 1 million US dollars.

Merlin is the second of only two diamond mines in Australia.  No longer operating it

was owned by Rio Tinto and sold to Striker Resources, who has explored the

possibilities of reopening the mine.  

Orapa is the world’s largest diamond mine.  It us located 240 Km west of

Francistown.  The mine is owned by “Debswana” which is a partnership

between DeBeers and the government of Botswana. This mine operates 7 days a

week.  It maintains pre primary and primary schools for its employee’s children. 

There is also a 100 bed hospital and game park.  This mine began production in 1971

and is the oldest mine owned by the Debswana Company.

The Premier mine located in Cullinan, South Africa produced the largest gem diamond

ever in 1905.  The Cullinan Diamond weighed 3,106.75 carats.  This mine also

produced the Golden Jubilee diamond which weighed 545.67 carats.  This mine is

owned by the De Beers Company and was renamed The Cullinan Diamond Mine in

2003 in celebration of its centennial.

How diamonds made

Diamonds form between 75-120 miles below the earth's surface. According to geologists the first delivery of diamonds was somewhere around 2.5 billion years ago and the most recent was 45 million years ago. The carbon that makes diamonds comes from the melting of pre-existing rocks in the Earth's upper mantle. There is an abundance of carbon atoms in the mantle. Temperature changes in the upper mantle forces the carbon atoms to go deeper where it melts and finally becomes new rock, when the temperature reduces. If other conditions like pressure and chemistry is right then the carbon atoms in the melting crystal rock bond to build diamond crystals.

There is no guarantee that these carbon atoms will turn into diamonds. If the temperature rises or the pressure drops then the diamond crystals may melt partially or totally dissolve. Even if they do form, it takes thousand of years for those diamonds to come anywhere near the surface.

It takes millions of years to make a diamond. When you own a diamond, you own something which is a legend in the making. It has not been made in a factory just the other day. A diamond comes from the bosom of the earth. More interestingly not all the diamonds mined are made into jewelry. Only one fourth of the diamonds that are mined are made into jewelry. Every 100 tons of mud produces one carat of a diamond. And this one carat is not one stone! It could be anything from 0.005 ct to 1 ct. because much of the original stone is cut away in the process of cutting, shaping and polishing the diamond.

Diamonds come in different rough shapes. The next time you look at your diamond, think about the amount of time, energy and resources have gone into making that one. 

Diamond History

Diamond history varies greatly depending on your source of documentation, as diamond history is as rich in myths and folklore as it is in physical facts and records.  Diamond history is one filled with mythical stories, such as one where snakes guarded a land full of diamonds, and the history has fascinated people with the romance and beauty that surrounds our most precious gemstones; diamonds.

Early Diamond History

Around 3,000 years ago, in the country of India, the first ever diamond history was recorded.  If diamonds had been found prior to this period of time, we have no written record of  it  Diamonds in this day and age were used for two main purposes, and is quite different from why we still love diamonds today.  Diamonds stood as a talisman in order to fend off evil spirits, and to provide protection during battles, and they were also valued because of their ability to reflect the light.

Dark Ages of Diamond History

It is during the dark ages that the diamond history moved into having some sort of medical purpose.  St Hildegarde was said to have written an anecdote to heal wounds and cure illnesses that instructed the sick to hold a diamond in their hand and make the sign of the cross.  Some people in diamond history went as far as swallowing diamonds, hoping it would cure their illnesses magically.

Middle Ages of Diamond History

It was during the middle ages that diamonds began to gain popularity.  It is this point in diamond history that many of the famous diamonds were discovered, including the Blue Hope, and the mountain of light, both found in India.  In our current times, India remains the worlds finest polishers of diamonds.

The middle ages also saw a shift in diamond history- where previously diamonds were valued based on their mythical powers, they began to be valued more for their overall worth.  As more people learned of the incredible value of diamonds, mine owners began circulating stories that diamonds were poisonous, to prevent the workers from swallowing diamonds as a means to smuggle them out of the mines undetected.

Also during this period of diamond history, people wanted diamonds more than any other time period previously, mostly because they recognized their power and worth.  India's diamond supply was dwindling and was unable to meet demands of diamond buyers.  South Africa's find of diamonds near the Orange River began the world's largest diamond rush of diamond history, and helped satisfy the demands of those wanting diamonds for themselves.

More Recently

Diamond history began to spread into eastern Australia sometime during the middle of the nineteenth century.  During the late 1970's, Australia as a diamond producer became validated.  Also in the late 1970's, 1979 to be exact, the Argyle pipe near Lake Argyle was discovered by geologists.  Since that day, Argyle has become the absolute largest producer of diamonds in all the world and throughout diamond history, and produces over one third of the diamond volume each year.