Diamonds were the talk of the Tower of London on Tuesday 8 November at a private dinner held to mark the start of a three-day summit to identify the world's most famous diamonds. With over 100 diamonds in the world at 100 carats or more, the criteria for Famous Diamonds must necessarily extend beyond size to focus on the rare qualities and historical provenance of these extraordinary gemstones, for example The Golden Jubilee, the world's largest faceted diamond in the King's Royal Palace in Thailand, The Centenary which has recently returned to the Sultan of Brunei after spending years in a London safety deposit box, the Incomparable hidden in the US and The Light of Peace in the Middle East.

Xinhua reports the chief of China's work safety watchdog on Saturday decried the poor safety standards at a coal mine where rescuers had pulled out 30 bodies and are still searching for 13 others following a gas outburst three days ago. Director of the State Administration of Work Safety Luo Lin, who led a investigation of the Sizhuang Coal Mine, located in the county of Shizong in southwestern Yunnan province, described the mine's safety measures as "very poor." The mine was found to be operating illegally, having had its license revoked a year ago, according to a statement from the provincial coal safety supervision bureau. Latest official data shows that more than 2,600 people died in mining accidents in 2009.

South Africa's Gold Fields Ltd is likely to take an option to acquire a 60% stake in an undeveloped gold-copper deposit in the Philippines before April, its chief executive said on Thursday. The company said in September it had made a non-refundable down payment of $66 million for an option to acquire the stake.

Animation Insider reports SpongeBob SquarePants contributes a hefty amount to Nickelodeon Consumer Product's estimated $5.5 billion in annual, worldwide retail sales. For international coin collectors – or for that one die-hard SpongeBob fan who must have absolutely everything – two companies are partnering with Nickelodeon to manufacture a limited run of four, one-ounce, silver legal tender, based on the cartoon. PFG Precious Metals from Chicago, a wholesale precious metals company, and the New Zealand Mint, a respected minter legal tender for four and a half decades, are now accepting orders for SpongeBob silver.

Preliminary exploration work carried out by Solid Energy, New Zealand’s state-owned coal producer, indicates there is potential for a combined underground and […]

VANCOUVER, Canada – October 31, 2011 – Gemcom Software International Inc., the largest global supplier of mining software solutions, today announced that […]

The Citizen reports fourth-quarter rough diamond demand will be about $1.2 billion less than the $4.6 billion sold in each of the first three quarters of the year, Israel Diamond Institute chairperson Moti Ganz said this week.

Elizabeth Lewis-Gray, Chairman of CEEC (Coalition for Eco-Efficient Comminution) announced today the launch of the inaugural CEEC Medal, an annual award intended to recognise and celebrate the contribution of outstanding published papers, articles or case studies profiling beneficial strategies for eco-efficient comminution.

PhysOrg reports Yorkshire Cancer Research has awarded scientists at the University of Bradford and the University of Leeds over £44,000 to carry out research into whether silver could be used as a treatment for cancer. Drugs containing metals such as platinum and copper have already been proven as effective treatments for cancer, but they cause severe side effects and are very harmful to normal tissues.

Rockwell Diamonds Inc. ("Rockwell" or the "Company") (TSX: RDI; JSE: RDI; OTCBB: RDIAF) announces production at the Tirisano Mine project has commenced and results of Midamines arbitration.