AGD DIAMONDS JSC, owners of Grib Mine, in Archangelsk, Northern Russia. Announced on 17th April, 2020, the recovery of a gem-quality large diamond, weighing 50.36 carats, on April 13th, the second such large diamond recovered this year, at their state-of-the-art mining and processing plant, GOK Them. V. Griba. The diamond was discovered as work at the mine was continuing behind closed doors during the lockdown. The unique jewelry-grade rough diamond is transparent and regular-shaped as seen in the image below.
AGD Diamonds state-of-the-art mining and processing plant incorporating environmental friendly, innovative advanced mining technologies and gentle processing during enrichment, has enabled the company to mine large quality diamonds without damage. Some of the significant diamonds recovered at the GOK Them. V. Griba mines since its technology upgrading are eleven exclusive diamonds, each weighing more than 50 carats in 2019, including two unique diamonds weighing 222.09 and 127.34 carats and a 199.43 carat diamond recovered on December 17, 2019. The first large diamond to be recovered in 2020 was the unique 86.46-carat diamond recovered in January 2020.
Diamond mine, Them V Griba is considered as one of the largest in the world, ranking 4th in terms of reserves in Russia and 7th in the world.
Two of the large diamonds recovered by AGD DIAMONDS JSC at the GOK Them V Grib Mine in December 2019 and in January 2020 have now been given names. The unique diamond recovered on December 17, 2019 weighing 199.43 carats was named “George Sedov” in honor of Russian Hydrograph and Polar Explorer, who led the expedition to conquer the North Pole in 1912, and died in the ice and is buried in the Island of Rudolph in the Arctic.
The other unique and large diamond weighing 86.46 carats recovered on January 5, 2020 was named “George Georgiev” in honor of the discoverer of the diamond deposit named after M.V. Lomonosov, who made a significant contribution to the discovery and formation of the Arkhangelsk diamondiferous province.