Harare: According to Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa, prices of local diamonds could increase 10-20% per carat as a result of a new system that requires them to be cleaned before auction, and the government has set up the Zimbabwe Boiling Facility to do just that.

Not only will the new system improve the value of local diamonds, he says, but it will save the country money by not having to send the diamonds outside the country to be cleaned – a practice which also resulted in diamonds receiving lower grades. This initiative, together with the local international auction facility, is in line with the government’s emphasis on value addition and beneficiation.