Diamonds from Namibia

Our own Karen Fox will speak about “Namibia’s Diamond Coast”. Karen Fox is an applied physicist, gemmologist and student of geology with special interest in the geology of gem deposits. A career in research and development for semiconductor optoelectronic devices and CMOS, FLASH and imager technologies took her from Canada to California, and along the way she added gemmological experience to a lifetime interest in rocks, minerals and fossils. She offers free gem identification at various gem shows, works with the University of Waterloo Earth Sciences Museum, continually augments her skills with courses and conferences, and undertakes assorted projects.

She writes, “The Atlantic coastline of Namibia in southern Africa sources some of the world’s highest quality diamonds. Born deep beneath the Earth’s crust, these diamonds were carried to the surface by explosive eruptions and washed to the west coast where diamond harvesting has been underway since 1908. Join me for a discussion of diamond deposit genesis and first-hand visits to contemporary NamDeb diamond mining operations in Namibia’s Sperrgebiet (forbidden zone), and to the historic diamond mining town of Kolmanskuppe.”
Also: silent auctions.