Namibia's diamond journey began in 1908. The country is now a top 10 producer of gem-quality diamonds, creating wealth that touches the entire nation.

LAND-BASED AND COASTAL RECOVERY

Diamonds are recovered from the southwest coast of Namibia, with land-based operations situated around Oranjemund, Lüderitz and along the Orange River.

MARINE-BASED DIAMOND RECOVERY

Namibia is one of the world's leading marine mineral recovery countries, with sustainable diamond recovery taking place off its southern coast.

In 1908, a railway worker named Zacharias Lewala, found a diamond that would change the course of Namibia's history. His discovery sparked a diamond rush that led to the mining of seven million carats until World War One. Work resumed following the war, when various mining companies amalgamated and discovered diamonds in Oranjemund: where mining has continued ever since.

In the 1950s, intrepid diamond hunters discovered diamonds on Namibia's coastal ocean floor, and from 1961 to 1970, mined around one and a half million carats. Today, Namibia is a leading diamond-producing nation that has, over the years, produced around 95 million carats.

Namibia's diamond industry is built on a strong foundation of supporting the communities and environments in which diamond recovery takes place. It continues to invest in projects that reach people across Namibia, supporting such sectors as education, health and welfare, sports, heritage and tourism, conservation, science, and small medium enterprise (SME) development.

TRANSPORTING DIAMONDS

Underpinned by a robust focus on safety, diamonds are extracted from kimberlite in processing plants located at the mines before being flown to a facility in Windhoek for cleaning and initial sorting. From here, they are then sent to the Namibia Government’s Diamond Office for valuation and certification under the Kimberley Process. The diamonds are then shipped to the Graffeosdiamonds central sorting facility in Gaborone, Botswana, where they are aggregated into assortments for purchase by our rough diamond customers.

Once purchased, the diamonds are transferred via secure courier to the Botswana Government's Diamond Office in Gaborone for further valuation and certification under the Kimberley Process, before being shipped to our customers’ offices after the sale has been completed. Diamonds that are set aside for beneficiation in Namibia will be securely transferred directly to our customers’ cutting and polishing factories in the country.

As part of the Best Practice Principles and OECD Due Diligence Guidance requirements, every stage of the movement of diamonds must be assessed for potential risks. Because of the environment in which we operate, the management systems we adopt and the training that is provided to all security personnel, our assessment process found that the risks associated with the transport of diamonds in Namibia are very low. We continue to ensure that our systems, policies and processes remain current and effective.