Russia closes gap on Botswana's top diamond status

According to data published this week by the  Kimberley Process (KP) Certification Scheme, Russia produced more volumes of carats than any other country in the world last year at 35 million carats worth $2.87 billion, but Botswana narrowly maintained its top producer by value rank due to the superior quality of gems it produced.

Botswana's diamond production fell to 20.5 million carats, worth $2.98 billion last year, from 22.9 million carats in 2011.