The Williamson kimberlite was discovered in 1940. At 146 hectares it is one of the largest economic kimberlites in the world with a major resource of 37.5 million carats.

Williamson is renowned for its ‘bubblegum’ pink diamonds, including the Williamson Pink, discovered in 1947, which is considered one of the world’s finest pink diamonds. The mine also produces beautifully rounded, high-quality white diamonds.

Williamson is one of the world’s most reliable sources of high-value pink diamonds. Despite the mine’s age, the pit is only 120 metres at its deepest point due to the deposit’s large size. The low grade of the deposit is countered by the high value of its diamonds and lends itself well to high volume, bulk mining methods.

Petra’s expansion plan at Williamson has involved major pit reshaping and plant rehabilitation work.

Operations at Williamson were suspended in November 2022 for 7 months after a TSF failure. In July 2023 operations were resumed, ahead of schedule, with the focus of FY24 being to get the mine back to full ramp up. Once at steady state, the mine is expected to produce 400kcts per annum.

The Company’s current mine plan for Williamson is to 2030, however given the Mwadui kimberlite hosts a major resource of 37.5 Mcts, there is potential to substantially extend this.