Russia and the Botswana hold the world's largest diamond reserves, totaling 600 million carats and 300 million carats, respectively, as of 2022.
De Beers S.A., South African company that is the world's largest producer and distributor of diamonds.
Russia accounts for 31% of global production, with the other largest producers being Botswana (21%), Canada (14%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12%) and South Africa (9%). Exports of diamonds from Russia declined by 30% to 34,045kct in 2022 over 2021.
The five largest diamond mines, i.e., Jwaneng Mine, Kao Mine, Orapa Mine, Catoca Mine, and Gahcho Kue Project, cumulatively produced approximately 55.9 million carats of diamond, 26.70 mmtpa of ROM in 2021.
Seven countries have led the world in the production of gem-quality diamonds for over a decade. Russia, Botswana, Canada, Angola, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Namibia have all been consistently producing over one million carats per year.
Lomonosov (Europe)
Situated in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia is one of the largest hard rock deposits in Europe, The Lomonosov mine. It has an estimated reserve of 73 million carats of diamonds.
Russia and the Botswana hold the world's largest diamond reserves, totaling 600 million carats and 300 million carats, respectively, as of 2022.
The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106 carats (621.20 g), discovered at the Premier No. 2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa, on 26 January 1905. It was named after Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine.
De Beers plc is the holding company of The De Beers Group of Companies. It is involved in many parts of the diamond value chain, from mining to sales, and is made up of a series of joint ventures and wholly owned operations.
Antwerp has been known as the diamond capital of the world for several centuries, a title that hasn't been easily earned. The diamond trade in the port started nearly 500 years ago when the first rough stones were brought over from India.
About 36 million years ago, an asteroid slammed into northern Siberia and created one of the largest craters on Earth. Streaking in at an estimated speed of 20 kilometers (12 miles) per second, the asteroid made an impact that ejected millions of metric tons of material into the air.
Dubai is deemed as one of the cheapest places to buy diamonds and rightly so. There's a reason that it is regarded as one of the world's top three diamond trading centers—the other two being India and Belgium.
The Russians have significant expertise in diamond mining, synthetic diamond production, and the use of diamond as an industrial material. Alrosa, the state-owned diamond mining company of Russia, produces more natural diamonds than any other company in the world and is a significant producer of lab-grown diamonds.
#1 Jwaneng
Jwaneng is also the richest diamond mine in the world in terms of value, estimated at US$1.25 billion, with an average historic annualized price at US$121.5 per carat.
North America: North America is the largest market for diamonds, with the United States accounting for a significant portion of global diamond demand.
The most expensive diamond in the world is owned by the British Royal Crown. The Kohinoor gem currently resides at the HM Tower of London where it is displayed as the central diamond of the Queen Mother's Crown.
The average concentration of gold in Earth's crust is 'very, very low,' at 4 parts per billion. In its elemental form, gold is significantly rarer than diamonds.
De Beers or the birth of a diamond monopoly
This monopoly was the start of their major monopoly over the diamond market. De Beers continued to purchase mines, as well as purchasing diamonds directly from other companies.
Not content with coining the squeakiest tune of 2005, (Lonely, so lonely) formerly locked down R&B sensation Akon is also the proud owner of a diamond mine in South Africa.
Red diamonds are the rarest and some of the most expensive in the world. Also known as Fancy Reds, they come in a variety of shades ranging from orange-red to brownish red. Majority of the world's red diamonds come from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Australia.
Red Diamonds
Still, their rarity and their intense, crimson color make them the most expensive per carat of all the colored diamonds, and on average will cost over $1 million per carat. The largest red diamond ever sold, weighing 5.11 carats, was bought for $8 million, at $1.6 million per carat.
There are many gems that are more valuable than diamonds. Emeralds, sapphires, rubies, garnets, and alexandrite, just to name a few.
The vast majority of diamonds form between about 150 to 200 km below Earth's surface. But a handful come from much deeper.
Africa. Together, Africa's diamond-producing countries mean that Africa is the world's first diamond area representing more than 60% of the global diamond production.
To Romans, they were the giver of strength and courage and warriors wore leather breastplates studded with diamonds in battles. It is thought diamonds were first discovered in India around 2,500 years ago in the Golconda region, between the Godavari and Krishna Rivers.