RAPAPORT... Sotheby's garnered nearly $18 million from its Important Jewels sale in New York, with a pink-diamond ring taking the top spot.The pear-shaped, 12.38-carat, fancy-pink, VVS2-clarity diamond ring fetched $4.6 million, or $373,337 per carat, falling within the price range the auctioneer had estimated. It led the auction house's first live jewelry sale in the state since the coronavi...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Veteran diamond industry journalist Rob Bates is making his debut as an author - with the release of a murder mystery set in New York's Diamond District.After 25 years' writing about real-life intrigue in the world of gems, he's penned A Murder is Forever, a fictional account of conspiracy, death, secrets and a $4m pink diamond.Mimi Rosen, the central character, does...Read More
(IDEX Online) - An extremely rare 74.48-carat fancy yellow diamond is to headline a sale of rough by Rio Tinto from its mines in Canada and Australia.The diamond (pictured) has been named the Diavik Helios, after the Canadian mine where it was found, and the pure yellow sunlight emitted by the mythical Greek god of the Sun.The Specials Tender of stones over 10.8 carats also includes 28,399 carats...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Petra is to sell a unique collection of blue diamonds, recovered within a week at its iconic Cullinan mine, in South Africa.The Type IIb diamonds, weighing between 9.61 carats and 25.75 carats, are all described as being of significant color, clarity, size. They contain a small amount of boron, which determines their blue color.They've been named Letlapa Tala, which means "blu...Read More
RAPAPORT... Indian diamond manufacturers are planning a curtailed Diwali break as they scramble to fulfill US holiday orders amid a shortage of polished.Factories will shut for five to 12 days instead of the usual two to three weeks, aiming to offset months of inactivity due to Covid-19, manufacturing executives said this week. Demand is growing ahead of the Christmas and Chinese New Year sea...Read More
RAPAPORT... US spending on holiday gifts will be similar to last year as consumers look to celebrate after the uncertainty and stress of the pandemic, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF)."Consumers have demonstrated their resilience and adaptability throughout these extraordinary times," NRF CEO Matthew Shay said Wednesday. Americans said they would shell out approximately $998 on se...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers' sales and production rebounded in the third quarter as the impending holiday season revitalized the diamond market following months of slow sales.Rough sales totaled 6.6 million carats during the three months ending September 30, a sharp increase from 300,000 carats in the second quarter, parent company Anglo American reported Thursday.Though sales volume was down 11% ye...Read More
Sentiment improving as holiday orders and shortages support polished prices. Cutters planning brief Diwali break amid rise in production. US holiday shoppers expected to keep spending in line with last year at average of $998, says NRF. Jewelers with strong digital presence doing well. Fewer 3Q bankruptcies than expected as JBT reports US industry decline of 3% to 24,258 businesses. China strong....Read More
RAPAPORT... Rio Tinto will launch a tender of large rough diamonds, including the last of its special stones from the Argyle deposit in Australia.The miner will feature 28,399 carats of special-sized rough - weighing more than 10.8 carats - from Argyle at the sale, which will take place in October and November, Rio Tinto said Tuesday. Colored diamonds from the site, which is due to close at the en...Read More
RAPAPORT... Gemological Science International (GSI) has launched a new online educational course dedicated to lab-grown diamonds, it said Tuesday.The Laboratory-Grown Diamond Essentials class was created in response to the rapid rise in the number of companies active in the sector, as well as increased consumer demand for synthetics, GSI noted. "It is imperative that the jewelry industry has the a...Read More
RAPAPORT... Petra Diamonds plans to hold a special tender of five blue diamonds it recovered from the Cullinan mine in South Africa last month.The sale of the Letlapa Tala collection, which means "blue rock" in the northern Sotho language spoken in the region, marks the first time this number of blue diamonds has been offered for sale at once, Petra said Wednesday. The high-quality, type IIb stone...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The US government has imposed sanctions on an Australian gemstone trader over his alleged links to al-Qaeda, the terror group behind the 9/11 attacks that claimed almost 3,000 lives. It says Ahmed Luqman Talib, 30, from Melbourne, acted as a "financial facilitator", moving money round the world to fund terrorist activity.Police raided his home yesterday in the Melbourne suburb...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Total sales of jewelry and watches in the US kept climbing in August, up by 9.3 per cent. That's the biggest monthly increase for four years. The July figure has been revised down from 9.0 per cent to 7.5 per cent, based on through-the-till transactions, rather than estimates. Revised sales for June were actually slightly higher, up from 3.7 per...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A team of jewelers in India have created a ring set with a record 7,801 diamonds.The design, based on a rare, sacred Himalayan flower, has 46 petals, with diamonds covering every available surface.The ring was painstakingly crafted over 11 months by The Diamond Store by Chandubhai, in Hyderabad - part of Hallmark Jewellers.It narrowly beat the previous holder of the Gui...Read More
RAPAPORT... Gemological Science International (GSI) has launched a new online educational course dedicated to lab-grown diamonds, it said Tuesday.The Laboratory-Grown Diamond Essentials class was created in response to the rapid rise in the number of companies active in the sector, as well as increased consumer demand for synthetics, GSI noted. "It is imperative that the jewelry industry has the a...Read More
RAPAPORT... Botswana's government expects the country's economy to return to growth next year on the back of a recovery in the diamond sector.The nation's gross domestic product (GDP) will increase 7.7% in 2021, Thapelo Matsheka, minister of finance and economic development, forecast Monday in a meeting with the World Bank. GDP fell 24% year on year in the second quarter of 2020 as a result o...Read More
RAPAPORT... WD Lab Grown Diamonds has hired heads of marketing, merchandise and operations as the US-based producer expands under private-equity ownership.Brittany Lewis joined WD earlier this year to lead marketing and merchandising, the company said last week. Her background is in branding, marketing and digital transformation for startups.Meanwhile, Caleb Wood has come on board as chief op...Read More
RAPAPORT... Petra Diamonds has called off its formal sales process, as its lenders have acquired majority ownership in the company in exchange for writing off sizeable debts.The groups reached the agreement following discussions on a long-term restructuring plan for the company that would allow it to pay back the $650 million in secured debt it currently owes, Petra said Tuesday. The miner had bee...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Plumb Club, an alliance of jewelry suppliers, has launched a collaboration with New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to help design students enter the industry.The project connects students in FIT's jewelry-design program with Plumb Club members, offering them mentoring, internships and exposure to potential employers, the trade organization said Monday. Students w...Read More
RAPAPORT... Patrick Merrin has stepped down as interim CEO of Dominion Diamond Mines, deeming it "appropriate" to focus on his position at the rough producer's parent company.Merrin, who is chief operating officer at the Washington Companies, took on the lead role at Dominion when Shane Durgin left in February. The miner's full executive team will run the company temporarily until a solution is fo...Read More