Expert Advice

India was the first diamond producing nation in the world, before exhausting it's supply by the 18th century.  Today, diamonds are mined on every continent but Europe, including countries such as Africa, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Russia, Brazil, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Canada, Australia, and the United States.  

Is there a difference in the diamonds found in each of these areas?  

Yes.  Firstly, diamonds can be mined using several methods.  Block caving involves digging a very large hole about 1800 feet wide then removing kimberlite, a type of potassic volcanic rock, through parallel tunnels.  The kimberlite is then sent into a crushing machine, which breaks it up into small pieces, so that it is easier to move.  The diamonds are then separated from the kimberlite rock by panning or making a slurry mixture which allows the heavy diamonds to float to the bottom.

Alluvial mining, on the other hand, involves excavating diamonds from deposits such as gravel, clay and sand.  Although kimberlite rock is the natural diamond habitat, alluvial mining involves stones that have been removed from their original beds through natural processes, and deposited in riverbeds, ocean floors, or shorelines.  Once upon a time, before the resources were exhausted, diamonds would flow down from rivers and people could partake in river mining.  

Small scale alluvial mining still takes place in family groups or by individuals with minimal equipment.