1. ALROSA – 38.5 million carats

ALROSA, which operates mostly in the Yakutia region of Siberia, accounts for 94% of Russia’s total diamond production and 25% of the world’s diamonds in circulation. Outside of Russia, the miner only has one operation – a 32% stake in Angola’s Catoca mine. The company has nine major diamond fields and 10 alluvial mines.

The main reason for ALROSA ranking in top spot amongst the biggest diamond mining companies of the world today is due to a single diamond field called Verkhne-Munskoye, which it is the exclusive owner of. Discovered by ALROSA in 2007, Verkhne-Munskoye is estimated to contain rough diamonds that are worth about $4bn.

From January to November 2020, ALROSA’s total rough and polished diamond sales accounted for $2.28m – quite a way short of the $3.34m collected in 2019. Its total diamond output in 2019 amounted to 38.5 million carats.

2. De Beers – 30.78 million carats

De Beers has been in the diamond business since 1888 when it was founded by British politician and businessman Cecil Rhodes in South Africa. De Beers is now headquartered in London and has been majority-controlled (85%) by multinational miner AngloAmerican since 2012 after it bought Oppenheimer’s 40% stake in De Beers.

Although it has been labelled by critics as a diamond cartel established to monopolise the industry, it appears to have wiped out any veracity to such claims in recent years. De Beers’ 2019 diamond output was reported to be 30.78 million carats with its 2019 revenue reported to be about $4.6m.

3. Debswana Diamond – 23.3 million carats

Headquartered in Botswana, Debswana Diamond Company Ltd. is a 50:50 joint venture between De Beers and the government of Botswana.

No private mining operations are allowed in the country, with all of its diamond mining activities controlled by Debswana. The firm operates four diamond mines called Orapa, Jwaneng, Letlhakane and Damtshaa mines.

Unlike other mining companies, which have been touched by the controversy of “blood diamonds”, Debswana has been a significant contributor to the growing Botswana economy, accounting for 50% of the country’s revenues and 70% of its exports.

Having previously been recognised as one of the poorest nations on earth, the country can thank Debswana for being one of the main reasons for that growth.

4. Rio Tinto Diamonds – 17.03 million carats

Part of the Anglo-Australian mineral mining multinational Rio Tinto Group and owner of three diamond mines, Rio Tinto Diamonds boasts over $4bn in revenues and has operations on five continents. In 2019, the company’s diamond output was estimated to be over 17 million carats, with its revenue that year reported at $619m.

In November 2020, Rio announced it was closing its iconic Argyle mine in Western Australia, which was famously known for its pink diamonds. Rio owns a 78% share of the Murowa diamond mine in Zimbabwe, where production takes place on a smaller scale, with its annual output averaging about 200,000 carats.

5. Dominion Diamond – 6.7 million carats

Established as Aber Diamond Corporation in 1994, which later became Harry Winston Diamond Corporation in 2006, Dominion Diamond Corporation is based in Toronto with all of its operations in Canada.

Dominion mostly mines diamonds from Diavik – Canada’s largest mine – and Ekati diamond mines, with both facilities located near Lac de Gras.

Founded specifically to mine the precision stone from Diavik in 1994, Dominion reported gross revenue of $151.3m in 2019, with diamond production at Diavik estimated to be 6.7 million carats.

According to nsenergybusiness.com. Source of photo: internet