How Diamonds Are Mined

We seldom think about how the diamonds we wear came to us.
Natural diamonds, as opposed to synthetic diamonds or fake
diamonds, are mined from the earth. There are currently two
methods of mining diamonds: Pipe Mining and Alluvial Mining.

When pipe mining is used, the diamonds are extracted from
the earth through volcanic pipes. These are not man-made
pipes. These are natural pipes in the ground. Shanks are put
into the ground next to the pipes, and tunnels are driven into
the deepest parts ofthe pipe. The diamonds are not sorted out
at the mine. Instead, huge rocks that are full of diamonds are
brought out of the mine and moved to a screening plant for
separation.


The Alluvial mining method is done in riverbeds and on beaches.
Walls are built to hold back the water and the sand on the bank
or beach is moved with a bulldozer until the level of earth that
diamonds can be found in is reached. Again, the diamonds are
not sorted here. Instead, the sand that contains the diamonds is
bulldozed into trucks, and taken to screening plants.