The first diamond found in West Africa was in Sierra Leone in 1930. Later, deposits were found in Guinea, Liberia and the Ivory Coast. With the exception of a handful of kimberlite pipes the vast majority of activity is small-scale alluvial mining.
In 1979 Mickey became a diamond exporter in Sierra Leone. He started to build his customer base by traveling throughout the country sourcing rough at the alluvial sites.
For the most part, the system then and still prevalent today is the support system. With the support system the supporter supplies all the equipment necessary, i.e. water pumps, shovels, shakers, etc., and food. When a diamond is recovered the supporter buys it from the workers at an agreed-upon percentage of the value. Eager to grow his business Mickey quickly began to take advantage of this opportunity as well.
Over the years he came to know the country and its people. As his confidence grew he decided to join in with some of his indigenous friends and start a dredging company.
Dredging is by far the more environmentally friendly way to extract diamonds and gold from the soil. You take what you are mining for and return the overburden back to the environment. This is in stark contrast to open pit mining which, without a reclamation program, scars the land.
When the war broke out in 1995 Mickey was hired by a mid-sized mining company in Guinea. He became their buyer/exporter and consultant for mining. This gave him the opportunity to work with professional geologists and exerienced mining engineers. In 2010 to 2014 Mickey took on another consulting project in Liberia, again buying, exporting and mining.
Because gold prices are at an all-time high he has included alluvial gold deposits as well. The much heavier specific gravity of gold makes the recovery process much easier than diamond separation. Diamond mining is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Gold production offers fairly reliable grams per cubic yard. When it comes to diamonds Mickey is still looking for the "BIG ONE" but gold offers a more consistent, predictable cash flow.
Mickey prides himself in always leaving a community better than he found it. He has built roads, fixed and dug wells in local villages, as well as repaired worn down structures such as mosques, churches and schools.
In 1979 Mickey became a diamond exporter in Sierra Leone. He started to build his customer base by traveling throughout the country sourcing rough at the alluvial sites.
For the most part, the system then and still prevalent today is the support system. With the support system the supporter supplies all the equipment necessary, i.e. water pumps, shovels, shakers, etc., and food. When a diamond is recovered the supporter buys it from the workers at an agreed-upon percentage of the value. Eager to grow his business Mickey quickly began to take advantage of this opportunity as well.
Over the years he came to know the country and its people. As his confidence grew he decided to join in with some of his indigenous friends and start a dredging company.
Dredging is by far the more environmentally friendly way to extract diamonds and gold from the soil. You take what you are mining for and return the overburden back to the environment. This is in stark contrast to open pit mining which, without a reclamation program, scars the land.
When the war broke out in 1995 Mickey was hired by a mid-sized mining company in Guinea. He became their buyer/exporter and consultant for mining. This gave him the opportunity to work with professional geologists and exerienced mining engineers. In 2010 to 2014 Mickey took on another consulting project in Liberia, again buying, exporting and mining.
Because gold prices are at an all-time high he has included alluvial gold deposits as well. The much heavier specific gravity of gold makes the recovery process much easier than diamond separation. Diamond mining is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Gold production offers fairly reliable grams per cubic yard. When it comes to diamonds Mickey is still looking for the "BIG ONE" but gold offers a more consistent, predictable cash flow.
Mickey prides himself in always leaving a community better than he found it. He has built roads, fixed and dug wells in local villages, as well as repaired worn down structures such as mosques, churches and schools.