Prior to Huddlestone's discovery, geologists at the Arkansas State Geological Survey suspected that diamonds might occur in the greenish peridotite soils near Murfreesboro because they were similar to the soils above the African diamond deposits. The big diamond rushes in Africa occurred in the late 1800s, and information about the deposits there was widely published. Most people don't find a diamond during their visit, but a few miners have been extremely successful. Searching is easy but you will need a combination of luck, patience and a very sharp eye to find a diamond. Power tools are not allowed however, the Park periodically plows the diamond field to turn up fresh soil. You can bring your own tools or rent tools at the Park. Other people dig in the soil and carefully search through it one shovel-full at a time. Some people find them after it rains by walking through the field looking for the bright reflection of a diamond that has been washed clean by the rain. The diamonds at the Park occur in the soil, and that makes them easy to look for. These include: amethyst, agate, jasper, garnet, peridot, hematite and many others. In addition to diamonds, you might find one of the many colorful gemstones that occur naturally there. For a fee of a few dollars you can enter the mine, search all day and keep any diamonds that you find. Canada’s Gahcho Kue project is estimated to produce 5 million carats a year for 15 years starting in 2015.This diamond mine is located near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Of note is Russia’s Grib project estimated to produce 4 million carats annually for 19 years with production expected to commence before years end. The Kimberly Process had the DRC producing 21.5 million carats in 2012.Īlso included below are projects in development (highlighted in blue). Artisanal and small-scale miners account for most DRC production, and a third of DRC’s diamonds are believed to be smuggled, making quantifying production very difficult, thus no DRC producers are represented below. State run diamond company ALROSA accounts for approximately 95% of all Russian production (See: The Worlds Biggest Diamond Producer is a Company that you Probably Haven't Heard of).Īfter Russia, the Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC is the second largest diamond-producing nation in the world. In 2013 Russia is estimated to produce over 33 million carats worth over $3.4 billion. The Russian Federation is the largest diamond-producing nation in the world. In 2013, Argyle is estimated to produce 10.2 million carats. Australia’s Argyle mine, while famous for producing over 90% of the worlds fancy pink diamonds, has the lowest average value per-carat output in the world. Unpopular brown diamonds, most of which are classified as industrial quality, account for the majority of Argyle’s production bringing down the mines average carat value to only $25/carat. However, Letseng is only estimated to produce 85,000 carats this year, worth $186 million. The Letseng mine in Lesotho is estimated to produce diamonds with an average value of $2191/carat, making it the worlds richest on an average per-carat basis. Estimated to produce over 11 million carats in 2013, with an average price of $145/carat, the Orapa mine is estimated to produce over $1.6 billion dollars worth of diamonds in 2013. In terms of total diamond value produced annually, Botswana’s Orapa mine is the world leader. Zimbabwe is the fourth largest diamond producing nation in the world, and the Marange fields represent almost all of the nation’s production. While the Marange fields may produce more carats than any other project in the world, the quality of the diamonds produced are among the lowest in the world, averaging only $60/carat (the global average is approximately $100/carat according to Kimberly Process data). The balance (or 16%) of global production not included below comes from small-scale operations, where production data is unreliable or not available at all.Īccording to Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation projections, Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields are expected to produce 16.9 million carats in 2013, which would make the project the largest in the world in terms of carats produced annually. Partnership Africa Canada, a non-profit organization, estimates that production from the Marange fields would be as high as 30 to 40 million carats annually if Kimberly Process restrictions did not exist (the Kimberly Process is a global non-profit organization established to prevent the trade of conflict diamonds). The mines listed below are estimated to account for 84% of expected global 2013 diamond production of 130 million carats. The data below cumulates the world’s estimated diamond production by mine in terms of carats produced and value produced in U.S.
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