Botswana Government Takes Stake in HB Antwerp
The news came as the diamond manufacturer officially opened a new factory in Gaborone, its first outside Antwerp.

The news came last week as HB Antwerp officially opened the doors of HB Botswana, its first diamond manufacturing facility outside Belgium.
It marked the milestone with an inauguration ceremony held in the nation’s capital, Gaborone, and attended by HB Antwerp executives and Botswana President Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi.
HB Botswana is located in Gaborone’s Diamond Technology Park and is closely modeled after the company’s factory in Belgium.
HB Antwerp said its opening “fulfills the company’s promise to bring its cutting-edge, proprietary technologies to Botswana, supporting the country's transformation into a diamond knowledge center.”
“The HB Botswana facility in Botswana is the realization of close collaboration and partnership between the government of the Republic of Botswana and HB Antwerp,” President Masisi said during the inauguration.
“We are forging a brighter future for the next generation of Botswana, taking unprecedented ownership over our natural resources to realize their potential for our nation’s sustainable development fully.”
In addition to taking a 24 percent stake in HB Antwerp, Masisi said government-owned rough diamond trading company, the Okavango Diamond Company (ODC), will supply rough diamonds to HB Botswana for five years.
The plotting, cutting and polishing of those diamonds will take place in Botswana.
ODC is the company that bought and polished the 41-carat rough blue diamond recovered from the Orapa mine in May 2018. The stone was the centerpiece of an exhibition about diamonds from Botswana at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
ODC is separate from Debswana, the mining company joint venture between the government of Botswana and De Beers Group.
Per the current sales agreement between the Botswana government and De Beers, Debswana has to sell 75 percent of its rough diamond output to De Beers, while the remaining 25 percent goes to ODC.
The deadline to renegotiate that contract, which dates back to January 2011, has been extended three times, with Masisi, who is up for re-election next year, stating publicly that Botswana could walk away from the decades-old partnership if his country doesn’t get a bigger cut.
The sales agreement is currently set to expire in June.
In a statement shared with National Jeweler this week, De Beers said it continues to work toward a new sales agreement for Debswana diamonds and the Debswana mining licenses.
It added, “We recognize there is significant interest regarding our negotiations with the Government of the Republic of Botswana to agree to a long-term mining license and sales agreement for Debswana.
“At the heart of these is a discussion on how best to broaden and deepen the unparalleled socio-economic growth our 54-year partnership has delivered with and for Batswana … With our proven and successful business model … we are proud of what we have delivered as a partner, and we are excited by our collective potential to ensure even more Batswana can add more value to, and generate more value from, their finite natural resource.”
HB Antwerp has a deal in place with another company that mines diamonds in Botswana, Lucara Diamond Corp.
After partnering on a couple of big, notable diamonds in 2020, the two companies inked a 10-year supply agreement in November 2022 covering the larger (10.8 carats and up) diamonds Lucara finds at its mine, Karowe.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lucara sells its big diamonds to HB Antwerp at prices based on the expected polished outcome of each diamond.
HB Antwerp determines the outcome using state-of-the-art scanning and planning technology, with a true-up paid on actual achieved polished sales, minus a fee and the cost of manufacturing.
At the time the companies reached the agreement, HB Antwerp co-founder Oded Mansori said, “The Lucara-HB agreement reflects the renewed commitment of both companies to embrace a new approach to sourcing, transforming, and distributing mineral resources—based on equity, transparency, and sustainability, providing meaningful benefits to all participants, including the people and communities of Botswana.”
The Latest

Its sessions will focus on inventory strategies, staff performance, retention and acquisition, emerging market trends, and more.

For its 10th anniversary, Miseno designed the “Arco” earrings based on the Arco Felice, an arch conceptualized in A.D. 95 in Miseno, Italy.

The jewelry company is one of several contributing to relief efforts in the region after the recent floods.

The Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.

Inspired by fiancé Sid Wilson’s nickname for her, the white and yellow diamond ring features a unique honeycomb design.


The brand is marking its 50th anniversary with a limited-edition bangle, high jewelry suites, new collections, and more.

Goldfarb said changes in the industry, coupled with his age and the updates needed to modernize his business, drove his decision.

The countdown is on for the JCK Las Vegas Show and JA is pulling out all the stops.

Longtime LVMH executive Michael Burke has stepped into the role.

Central topics of next week’s event include climate action, labor rights, artisan preservation, and value retention in producing countries.

Vickie Rokkos has joined the jewelry company as its new national sales director of North America.

Turbulence will be the new baseline for luxury as it faces its biggest potential setbacks in 15 years, a recent report said.

Sponsored by Rio Grande Jewelry Supply

The “For the Love of Fruits” collection features five fruit pendants, each holding a different meaning.

Diamonds and crimes (some involving diamonds) top the list of National Jeweler’s most popular stories halfway through the year.

The “Les Pétales” collection imagines roses caught mid-bloom as a tribute to nature’s beauty.

Luxury brands charge thousands for their shoes and handbags. Jewelers pricing diamond products should take note, Peter Smith writes.

Rotenberg was an active member of the American Gem Society and an accomplished appraiser who also worked with therapy dogs at a hospital.

It follows New York-based brand Shahla Karimi Jewelry’s all-women team in “Say Yes to the Dress” meets “The Office”-style episodes.

In its inaugural year, the SMO Foundation will focus on supporting two organizations in West Africa and one in South America.

The announcement comes just as the 90-day freeze on the “reciprocal” tariffs nears its end, giving countries more time to negotiate.

Police officers apprehended the suspects as they were allegedly attempting to gain entry into another jewelry store.

The program, a collaboration between Julius Klein Diamonds and the Women’s Jewelry Association, is in its second year.

Sponsored by the Gemological Institute of America

The 2025 Australian Open champion is the jewelry brand’s first athlete ambassador.

The West Village jewelry boutique’s new shop-in-shop is the cornerstone of Nordstrom’s revamped jewelry hall.

This past year, the manufacturer said it recorded below-zero emissions per carat of natural diamond.