What I Learned In Namibia’s Thriving Diamond Industry

As I’m an avid lover of travel and adventure, my journeys have taken me around the world, from runway shows in Paris to the stunning sunrises at Taj Mahal. So I was absolutely game when I was given the opportunity to embark on a memorable getaway to Namibia. While hiking its ancient sand dunes and climbing its rugged canyons, I instantly fell in love with a country that’s home to the oldest desert in the world and where sunrises and sunsets flow like rivers of gold. Namibia, a vast, sparsely populated country of 3 million people that borders Botswana and South Africa, also happens to be one of the world’s richest sources of natural diamonds.

As a guest of De Beers, and fresh off the heels of its recent Desert Diamonds campaign, I traveled to Namibia for a weeklong journey and discovered that the beauty of its deserts are just as special as the diamonds that were born from its sacred sands. It’s this exact beauty of the desert that serves as the inspiration for the campaign that highlights designers and their jewelry pieces in a range of desert hues and has been at the forefront of pop culture highlights this past year, including Stephanie Gottlieb’s dazzling diamond bracelet Taylor Swift wears on the album cover of The Life of a Showgirl and Neil Lane’s drop-dead gorgeous pendant necklace in Doja’s Cat’s “Glamorous” video.

Here’s what I learned from my travels to Namibia

Oranjemund: Where The Desert Meets The Sea

The first leg of the trip was to the mining town Oranjemund. Its abundance of natural diamonds is attributed to its location near the Orange River and Atlantic Ocean. In the simplest mathematical terms: desert diamonds + volcanic eruptions + river + wind + millions of years = natural diamonds pushed to the bottom of the sea. So out to sea we went.

A somewhat tranquil helicopter ride took us to a sweeping ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s here that diamonds are recovered through Debmarine, the marine diamond mining operation that is a key component to Namdeb, the 30-year partnership between the Namibian government and De Beers. Donning hard hats and work boots (shoutout to the protective gloves that were my lifeline as I gripped the rails in the rockier moments of this seaside excursion), we explored the gargantuan ship. I witnessed the mining vessel existing in a choreographed marriage of roaring, monstrous waves, colonies of sea lions and a cacophony of machinery working to recover the diamonds from the ocean floor. A true symbol of science and natural cohabitation.

Between this excursion to the mining vessel at sea and a visit to another one of the city’s mines located on the beach, Oranjemund is perhaps the most prominent example of the symbiotic relationship of a city and its natural resources. It’s these exact mining operations that are main contributors to the economic backbone, employment opportunities and community development in not just Oranjemund but Namibia as a whole.

Windhoek: Carats & Community

After Oranjamund, it was off to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. If Oranjemund is where diamonds are born, then Windhoek is where they are transformed. From Oranjemund, the majority of the diamonds are sent to the De Beers site holders facility where the rough stones are sorted and grouped according to the four C’s: cut, color, clarity, and carats. It’s through this process that the value and rarity of natural diamonds are most apparent. Each stone is treated as a rare object as no two diamonds are the same.

Beyond its commercial aspects, Windhoek is a city where innovation and investment in community create a vibrant culture of creativity and optimism, with this path often forged through female leadership. We met with Monica Geingos, the former first lady of Namibia who herself has close connections to the diamond-mining industry growing up Oranjemund and having family members who worked in the mines. Geingos is the chairperson of the One Economy Foundation, an initiative founded to bridge the economic gap in Namibia. It’s through One Economy she founded the Be Free Youth campus that provides health care and skillship mentoring programs for its young citizens.

Our time in Windhoek ended with a dinner at Droombos, the botanical safe haven resort where we stayed. A welcome reprieve from the desert heat, the dinner under the stars was the perfect representation of the community where politicians, local artisans, and even the current Miss Namibia could all gather to celebrate empowering Namibia forward to a prosperous future.

Sossusvlei: Paradise In The Desert

We ended the trip in Sossusvlei, home to the oldest desert in the world and some of the most luxurious lodges, including Little Kulala where we stayed, also known as pure paradise in the desert. The property comprises individual suites, each equipped with a private pool, an outdoor shower, and bed if you choose to fall asleep under the stars. The timing of the trip happened to be during a full moon, so the requisite outdoor dinners, whether at the lodge or by a bonfire in the middle of the desert, had an extra serene source of incandescence. As a New Yorker accustomed to the orchestra of constant construction and honking horns, the peaceful stillness (save for a few cries from wandering jackals) that allowed me a good night’s rest felt like a gift from the universe.

Our major excursion outdoors was hiking the rolling sand dunes that seem to extend for eternity on the grounds of Sossusvlei. Up at 5 a.m. and awoken by the most endearing wake up call I’ve ever received (no phones ringing — just an energetic, “Hello, Jennifer!” said by a Little Kulala staff member outside my door), we began our day. Though remote, the desert still buzzes with pockets of wildlife and activity. Oryx graze the sparse vegetation, and hyenas, hunched and sneaky-eyed, dart about, searching for food. “Big Daddy” is known as one of the tallest dunes in the world, and thankfully for yours truly who is not the most athletic girl, we instead hiked the smaller “arm” of the dune, which was still an exhilarating physical feat. And just like diamonds, no two dunes are the same.

If I could recommend a top travel destination in the world, it would be Sossusvlei. The beauty of the desert is like a peaceful dream you could live in forever.

Shop Desert Diamond pieces below.