2018: The year of the lab-created diamond

It took a world-renowned master chocolatier, cocoa from Tanzania, two solitaire diamonds and some gold to create this extravagant and expensive chocolate Easter bunny.

In the farthest reaches of northwestern Canada, there are few people and fewer roads. When winter comes, fuel, explosives, and heavy equipment move north in an unusual way: via trucks driving on frozen lakes.

The first two months of 2015 failed miserably to dispel gloomy market conditions affecting the global mining industry, according to a study published Wednesday.

Singapore-based IIa Technologies, the world leader in Grown Diamond technology, today announced the launch of the world’s largest diamond greenhouse, a 200,000 square foot, state-of-art facility that has successfully conceptualised and developed a revolutionary, commercially-viable diamond growing process for colourless, high quality, Type IIa diamonds.

Zimbabwe’s diamond industry will soon be controlled by one firm as the country’s major diamond mining companies have agreed to merge.

The plug should be pulled on these marginal junior miners, say investors.

Executives from De Beers Group, Alrosa and Endiama to reveal how the New Silk Route from China across Africa to Dubai has transformed the global diamond trade.

The gem, discovered a decade ago at one of De Beers mines in South Africa, is one of just five diamonds over 100 carats and of comparable quality to have been offered at an auction.

In this interview with The Mining Report, he shares his secret for finding companies that can create value despite challenging market conditions, and he reveals where he is putting his money today.