Snap Lake - Canada's first completely underground mine
Kimberlite, alluvial and marine mining all use different techniques.
Kimberlite mines can be underground or open-pit, while alluvial stones may be mined commercially or on a small scale. Marine mining involves specialised ships, each of which is, in effect, a mine.
Once we detect diamonds, we use different types of mining to extract them, depending on where they are found.
Most of our diamonds occur in kimberlite pipes and are extracted by:
- Open-pit mining, where diamond deposits are on the surface of the ground, or
- Underground mining, where diamond deposits are below ground.
Diamonds are also extracted from alluvial deposits, where they are removed from sand, gravel and clay. These can be deposited along the banks of a river, the shoreline or on the bed of the ocean.
This process is called alluvial mining and is undertaken by:
- Coastal and inland mining, where sand and soil are removed to find diamonds, or
- Marine mining, where diamonds are excavated from the seabed.
De Beers is not involved in informal small-scale artisanal diamond digging, but works with the Diamond Development Initiative and the Mwuadui Community Diamond Partnership in an effort to help local workers and their families benefit from a sustainable economic model.
Learn about our approach to sustainability >