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Diamond language experts - pls help me understand

Ashleigh

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Why does a mine RECOVER a diamond, when it seems that it should be a mine FOUND or DISCOVERED a diamond? I think I can understand not using the word "discover" since it's not a new crystal but why can't we say the mine "found" a diamond crystal? "Recover" gives one the impression that the mine had the diamond, misplaced it and found it again. I've always wonder at the use of the word "recover" but thought it lame to ask. Please assuage my curiosity. Many thanks.
 

monarch64

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Maybe that's the "pretty" term for it, according to DeBeers? Not really sure. Will be interested to see what others have to say.
 

Circe

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I think it's a finance term that snuck into mining - investors will talk about getting a recovery on their investment in much the same way. And setting up mines is 'spensive, Lucy! But I will admit I LOL'd at the way you put it: I just have this image of Oppenheimer patting his vest absentmindedly muttering, "Where DID I put it? I had it a minute ago ...."
 

Ashleigh

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Circe|1390402940|3598494 said:
I think it's a finance term that snuck into mining - investors will talk about getting a recovery on their investment in much the same way. And setting up mines is 'spensive, Lucy! But I will admit I LOL'd at the way you put it: I just have this image of Oppenheimer patting his vest absentmindedly muttering, "Where DID I put it? I had it a minute ago ...."

Thanks for the plausible explanation, Circe.

I did wonder if it has legal implications. If a diamond is recovered, it means it belongs to the mine, whereas if a diamond is found, anyone who had ever been in the mine could claim he dropped it and lay claim to it. Possible?
 

ChristineRose

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As a finance person, I don't think that's it.

I think it's because the product of most mines is a pile of kimberlite (not valuable) and the diamonds are removed from it. Recovery is a term often used for refining waste products into something of value.
 

Ashleigh

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ChristineRose|1390443914|3599121 said:
As a finance person, I don't think that's it.

I think it's because the product of most mines is a pile of kimberlite (not valuable) and the diamonds are removed from it. Recovery is a term often used for refining waste products into something of value.


CR, I think you nailed it, especially since I just saw Karl post about "recovery process" wrt the blue rough in RT. Thanks for assuaging my curiosity after all this while. :))
 

Circe

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That makes sense - thank you!
 

Karl_K

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ChristineRose|1390443914|3599121 said:
As a finance person, I don't think that's it.

I think it's because the product of most mines is a pile of kimberlite (not valuable) and the diamonds are removed from it. Recovery is a term often used for refining waste products into something of value.

Mining:
extraction - removing the ore from the ground
recovery - recovering the valuable products from the ore.
refining - remove impurities from the recovered product. Diamonds aren't refined as such they are sorted.

Most mines the ore is extracted into piles then it is sent through the recovery process often more than once.
You will hear in the diamond news from time to time about quarterly numbers being down because they reprocessed a pile.

Some mines are set up that as part of the extraction process they are checked for large stones(using giant xray machines) and may pay a bonus if a worker finds one at any step in the process. The recovery process will often damage large crystals.
Some mines where large crystals have never been found they don't bother so they will never produce large stones unless a worker spots it.

Interesting tidbit:
"Captain Frederick Wells, superintendent of Premier Mine, one of South Africa's most productive mines, near Pretoria, found the diamond, during his daily inspection of the mines, on 26 January 1905. During his rounds he saw a flash of light, reflected by the sun on the wall of the shaft. As he got closer, he could see a partially exposed crystal, embedded in the rock, however he initially believed it to be a shard of glass, placed by one of the miners as a practical joke. Using just his pocket knife he managed to release the diamond. At approximately 1 1⁄3 pounds (600 grams), 3 7⁄8 inches (98 mm) long, 2 1⁄4 inches (57 mm) wide and 2 5⁄8 inches (67 mm) high the diamond was twice the size of any diamond previously discovered. Wells immediately took it for examination."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cullinan_Diamond
 

Karl_K

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Circe|1390402940|3598494 said:
I think it's a finance term that snuck into mining - investors will talk about getting a recovery on their investment in much the same way. And setting up mines is 'spensive, Lucy! But I will admit I LOL'd at the way you put it: I just have this image of Oppenheimer patting his vest absentmindedly muttering, "Where DID I put it? I had it a minute ago ...."
I would be willing to bet that its the reverse that the term came to finance from the mining industry.
 

Karl_K

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Ashleigh|1390490553|3599459 said:
ChristineRose|1390443914|3599121 said:
As a finance person, I don't think that's it.

I think it's because the product of most mines is a pile of kimberlite (not valuable) and the diamonds are removed from it. Recovery is a term often used for refining waste products into something of value.


CR, I think you nailed it, especially since I just saw Karl post about "recovery process" wrt the blue rough in RT. Thanks for assuaging my curiosity after all this while. :))
Whats funny is I should have said extraction and recovery processes.
That mine uses the giant xray machines to check the ore for large stones before it it piled up for recovery.
So it would depend on where in the process it was found which one had the most potential to do the damage.
That mine and one other have produced something like 90%+ of the large diamonds found in the last 120+ years.
 

charleston1

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Karl K, I love the story about Captain Frederick Wells. I can just picture it happening, real life is often stranger than fiction.

If that scene played in a movie people would be like "oh come on, that would never happen"! But it did! Love it :twirl:
 

Karl_K

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Ashleigh|1390520815|3599780 said:
Karl, you've been a well of information. Thank you :))
Welcome
 

Karl_K

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charleston1|1390521799|3599789 said:
Karl K, I love the story about Captain Frederick Wells. I can just picture it happening, real life is often stranger than fiction.

If that scene played in a movie people would be like "oh come on, that would never happen"! But it did! Love it :twirl:
it is kewl
 
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