Where are diamonds mined?

Diamonds remain one of the most sought-after gemstones on the jewellery market today.

Known for their brilliance, as well as their rarity, it’s hard to believe that they are nothing more than a crystallized strand of carbon formed deep within the earth’s crust.

The creation of a diamond as well as the journey it makes from deep in the earth to the surface is a fascinating one. A diamond’s rarity, however, is due to the fact that there are so few workable diamond mines in the world.

A Rare Find

 

It is believed that the first diamonds were discovered in India over 6,000 years ago. They were found in and around the area’s riverbeds.

Initial movement of the stones out of the region began during the classical period and into the early medieval times. They were moved out of India by traders headed as far west as Rome and as far east as China. China, however, was the first country to harness the industrial potential of the diamond.

Because the diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance on earth, the Chinese were able to use it to cut other jewels and stones.

Origins of Diamond Mining

The first diamond mining operation didn’t take place until somewhere between 800 and 600 B.C. Most likely, once the diamond supplies in the riverbeds went dry, the natives began looking elsewhere for this valuable trading commodity.

Up until nearly A.D. 600, India was the only known source of diamonds in the world. After cornering the market for nearly a thousand years, India’s diamond production was supplemented by a source of diamonds found in Borneo.

Even as rare as they were with only two known sources in the world, most of the stones that were being mined were used for industrial purposes and often remained in a mostly uncut and natural state. It wasn’t until the 17th century that the “brilliant” cut was actually invented, revealing the stones true natural brilliance and beauty for the first time.

18th Century Diamond Mining

Aside from India and Borneo, during the 18th century, a small diamond mine was unearthed in Brazil. Unfortunately for Brazilian miners, only Indian diamonds were considered to be of the highest value.

To get around this, Brazilians would ship their gems to India before they were re-routed to various European markets under the guide of “Indian” diamonds. Soon after the discovery in Brazil, subsequent supplies were unearthed in Australia, the United States, Canada, and Russia. Even as more sources were discovered, the gemstones continued to hold their value.

19th Century and Beyond

The most substantial source of diamonds in the world was discovered in 1866 in South Africa. Kimberlite, the igneous stone that diamonds are formed in, is actually named for Kimberly, South Africa, the location of one of the first substantial mines to be discovered.

Subsequently, all of the mines in South Africa were purchased and taken over by the DeBeer’s Corporation. Because of this acquisition, DeBeer’s now controls nearly 80{b73dba2f17de0d6747e2a4e2a5d8cd71a65ae593e6462933d3c03b3044ece260} of worldwide diamond production and distribution.

Diamonds mined in South Africa are only made available to a hand-picked selection of DeBeer’s wholesalers less than nine times a year.

At some point, a viable source of quality diamonds was revealed in Siberia but, due to the severe climate conditions, mining on a large-scale basis cannot take place. One of the first “novelty” diamond mines was even opening in a small town in Arkansas that allowed people to try and mine their own diamonds for a flat rate.

The Future of Diamond Mining

The rarity of diamonds is once again becoming a factor that must be contended with. Since operations began in India, it is estimated that well over 10 million carats have been produced from their mines.

Today, the annual output has significantly decreased and the source overall is considered to be close to depletion.

Since DeBeer’s maintains such tight control over the South African mines, it is not known just how much longer those mines will remain a viable source for diamond mining. Hopefully, with synthetic diamonds being used more often for industrial purposes, the gemstone quality diamond supply available jewellery purposes will remain strong.