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Gemfields Resumes Emerald Mining in Zambia
The miner announced plans to recommence open-pit mining at Kagem.
Gemfields will resume open-pit emerald mining at its Kagem mine in Zambia following a months-long suspension that began at the start of the year.
London—Gemfields has announced it will resume focused open-pit mining at Kagem, its emerald mine in Zambia.
Operations at the Kagem mine have been on hold since the miner announced in December 2024 that, due in part to an oversupply of emeralds on the market, it would suspend mining from Jan. 1 for up to six months to focus on processing the mine’s ore stockpile using its upgraded processing plant.
The miner said recoveries from the processing plant so far this year, in terms of carats, have met expectations, producing a lower proportion of higher-quality or premium emeralds than direct open-pit mining methods.
Recent encouraging auction results increased management confidence in the emerald market, Gemfields said.
The miner will resume mining at two production points in the Chama pit, with minimal waste mining, it added, to recover stones for its future higher-quality emerald auctions.
The decision to recommence full scale mining will continue to be assessed as market conditions develop, said Gemfields.
Related stories will be right here …
Operations at the Kagem mine have been on hold since the miner announced in December 2024 that, due in part to an oversupply of emeralds on the market, it would suspend mining from Jan. 1 for up to six months to focus on processing the mine’s ore stockpile using its upgraded processing plant.
The miner said recoveries from the processing plant so far this year, in terms of carats, have met expectations, producing a lower proportion of higher-quality or premium emeralds than direct open-pit mining methods.
Recent encouraging auction results increased management confidence in the emerald market, Gemfields said.
The miner will resume mining at two production points in the Chama pit, with minimal waste mining, it added, to recover stones for its future higher-quality emerald auctions.
The decision to recommence full scale mining will continue to be assessed as market conditions develop, said Gemfields.
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