Firestone Diamonds is holding its first tender of Botswana diamonds, Mining Weekly reports.

The 2,500 carats of diamonds were recovered from the BK11 mine in Orapa, which is operated by Monak Venture – a 90%-owned Firestone subsidiary. The tender, which opened on November 29 and is scheduled to run until December 6, is being held at the newly inaugurated Diamond Technology Park in Gaborne.

According to Firestone, the tender marks the first opportunity for buyers from the local and international diamond trade to buy parcels of diamonds entirely sourced from Botswana. The company also reported that over 50 diamond companies had tried for appointments to view the diamonds, but that the facility could only host 40 companies in the time available.

Mining Weekly further reports that once Firestone's BK11 and Liqhobong mines are operating at full capacity, the company plans to hold 10 tenders a year, selling 40,000 and 50,000 carats of diamonds per tender – a value of some $50 million per year.