De Beers has announced a two-year production halt at its Venetia mine in South Africa's Limpopo province — the country's largest diamond operation, accounting for over 40% of national output — citing persistently difficult trading conditions. The company, majority-owned by Anglo American which is seeking to sell its stake, attributed the decision to mounting pressure from laboratory-grown gems and a weak rough diamond market, and said it would also delay capital spending on the mine's deep underground expansion. Venetia employs around 4,400 workers, and the pause follows a similar decision earlier this year to halt expansion at De Beers' Gahcho Kué mine in Canada.