In July 2007, the Namibian arm of Diamond Trading Company announced competitive selection among the country’s diamond cutting factories to be included into the first list of NDTC sightholders. At that time, Hard Stone Processing (Pty) Ltd (HSP) was already working in Namibia as an independent manufacturer and its factory successfully occupied a strong position among the leading sightholders turning into one of the three top diamond cutting companies in Namibia. Its CEO Burhan Seber gave this interview to Rough&Polished.
Botswana diamond miner, Debswana recently said that the temporary dip in diamond prices will likely see the company producing just below its target of 25 million carats for 2011. However, Esther Kanaimba-Senai, the Group’s Manager for Corporate and Public Affairs, told Rough&Polished in an interview that Debswana was not in trouble.
Malca-Amit is a full service courier company with a 21 year record of providing the highest quality personalised service and the most efficient logistic solutions for diamonds, jewelry, gold, coins, bank notes, and valuable documents. Our correspondent in Brussels caught up with Nigel Paxman, CEO of the Malca-Amit Group of Companies, to find out more about this company.Gemfields is considering plans to open a rough gemstone trading business, in Kitwe, Zambia, as well as establish a trial cutting facility at its Kagem mine, also in Zambia to determine the feasibility of local beneficiation.
Company chairperson, Graham Mascall said in an interim report that the gemstone-miner had narrowed its loss in the six months ended December 31 to GBP6.4 million ($9.5 million) compared with a loss of GBP186.6 million ($278.2 million) in the first half of the previous financial year.
He said revenues from emerald sales went up by GBP12.1million ($18 million) compared with GBP344,000 ($513,000) the year before, despite its total emerald and beryl production having declined by 47 percent to 7.82 million carats, compared with 14.7 million carats the year before.
However, emerald production at Kagem, the company’s only producing gemstone mine, had dropped by 46 percent, due to a 28 percent decline in the grade, as well as a 28 percent decline in the ore mined.
Mascall said Gemfields to continue expanding the underground mining operations at by including new target sites, while also expanding the opencast mining activities to new target sites.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Rough&Polished from Namibia
Rough&Polished
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