De Beers to move diamond sorting

The Republic of Botswana is a big shareholder in De Beers

The diamond giant De Beers is moving part of its sorting operation from its traditional home in London to Botswana's capital, Gaborone.

The operation being moved is known as aggregation and involves sorting stones from different countries by size, shape, colour and quality.

Aggregation has been carried out at De Beers headquarters in London since the 1930s and about 50 jobs will go.

De Beers opened a diamond processing plant in Botswana earlier this year.

The country is the world's largest producer of diamonds and is also a major shareholder in De Beers.

A De Beers spokesperson described aggregation as "a bit like the consistent mix you get with an orange juice."

"In other words manufacturers source oranges from around the world to make sure that each carton tastes exactly the same."