Alrosa, Russias dominant diamond mining company, is to expand on its current supply relationship with Kristall, the leading Russian diamond cutter, and develop a range of polished cuts to promote the Alrosa brand name on the international market.%%In a presentation in Moscow on Tuesday, Alrosa CEO Alexander Nichiporuk said his idea is not a new joint venture with Smolensk-based Kristall, but rather a common scheme, to be worked out with Maxim Shkadov, Kristalls general director, for focusing Alrosas rough supply on a jointly agreed manufacturing program.$$ This will concentrate on creating a recognizable series of cuts which market players will be able to identify as Alrosas production.%%Denying earlier local press reports of a downstream entry by Alrosa into jewellery design, Nichiporuk said the Kristall venture will be restricted to "special and unique cuts", not to diamond jewellery design, production, or sale.%%Kristall already produces several design lines which it markets in the US and elsewhere.%%But according to Nichiporuk, Alrosas plan does not go so far. The newly developed and branded cuts, he told PolishedPrices, could be committed to a major international jeweller like Tiffany or Cartier, or other houses.%%Nichiporuk did not say how much alrosa is planning to spend on the project, but emphasized this will not amount to a formal joint venture.%%Alrosa is currently undergoing restructuring of its capital base by the Russian Finance Ministry, the target for which is the enlargement of federally owned assets to bring Moscows shareholding in the company up to 50% plus one share, and majority control.%%In this process, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin -- who doubles as chairman of Alrosas supervisory board (equivalent to board of directors) -- has said he wants to see the company diversify its mining activities beyond the diamond sector into oil and gas, and other minerals.%%These are expected to include new gold and coal ventures. Nichiporuk said his plan calls for exploration for new diamond deposits in Angola, the Democratic republic of Congo, and three regions of northwestern Russia -- Arkhangelsk, Karelia, and Leningrad.%%Alrosa already has a major diamond field development under way in the Arkhangelsk region, through subsidiary Severalmaz.%%"The main target for Alrosa," Nichiporuk said, "is to keep up the level of mining. This is essential because [our existing] mining deposits are worked to capacity, and currently it’s difficult to find new ones." Alrosa is planning to spend an additional $5 - $6 million on fresh exploration in Angola this year, he said.%%According to Nichiporuk, the expansion of Alrosas charter capital should still leave Kristall as a "separate enterprise with its own management".%%He also disclosed that Alrosa is planning to open a new Arcos marketing outlet in Hong Kong, "as China is the fastest growing consumption market which we do not intend to miss."