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Diamond production at Rio Tinto rose in the third quarter amid a strong comparison with the previous year, when the company temporarily closed its Diavik mine in Canada.
Output from the mine surged 110% year on year to 1.1 million carats for the three months that ended September 30, Rio Tinto said Tuesday. A favorable comparison with the same period of 2024 contributed to the growth. Last year, the miner temporarily shut one of its main pits due to unstable ground on the road leading to the area, which can cause caving or sinking.
However, the total was 8% lower than the 1.2 million carats Rio Tinto recovered in the second quarter. In the first nine months of 2025, production soared 67% year on year to 3.3 million carats from the processing of 1.4 million tonnes of ore. That is relative to 937,000 tonnes in the first nine months of last year.
Diavik is currently Rio Tinto’s only diamond asset. The mine was originally due to close this year. However, the miner invested $40 million to extend the project’s life into 2026, adding more than 2 million carats of rough production. The company is currently exploring for diamonds in Angola.
Rio Tinto has not provided an outlook for its diamond unit for the full year.
Image: The Diavik mine. (Rio Tinto)
