Company
Subsidiary of Anglo American plc
De Beers
De Beers Group was founded in 1888 and explores for, mines, sorts and markets rough diamonds. It is a subsidiary of Anglo American plc, with the Government of Botswana holding a minority stake in the group.
Its production comes from operations in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Canada, several of them held as joint ventures with the governments of the countries concerned. The group also markets rough stones through its own sales channels and has built a laboratory-grown diamond business separate from its mined production.
No company matters more to the Botswana economy. The terms of the sales agreements between De Beers and the Government of Botswana determine how much of the value of a stone stays in the country, and that arrangement is one of the most consequential commercial relationships on the continent.
