Mining and Chemical Company (MACCOM)
Diamonds often mark our most unique and important moments, helping us to celebrate the best things in life.
Diamonds preceded human life on Earth, and even dinosaurs. Most diamonds originated in the depths of Earth’s mantle between 1-3 billion years ago. These precious stones found their way to the surface through a series of volcanic eruptions occurring 300-400 million years ago.
Apro Mining Diamonds
Forty years ago, in the Kimberley region of Northern South Africa , after a decade of searching an area the size of France, two of our geologists – Frank Hughes and Warren Atkinson – saw a small diamond embedded in an ant hill. What those ants had found was one of the richest diamond deposits the world had ever seen. After years of hard work sampling creeks and rivers, following clues in the endless, remote Australian outback, Hughes and Atkinson were standing on top of the pipe that would become the Argyle diamond mine.
Today, our white and coloured diamonds are some of the world’s most sought-after gems. In November 2020, mining ceased at Argyle, after 37 years of operations and producing more than 865 million carats of rough diamonds. We are committed to respectfully closing and rehabilitating the mine and returning the land to its traditional custodians.