RAPAPORT... US retail sales showed their largest gain since September asthe economic and financial outlook stabilized, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Total purchase value grew 3.6% year on year in March, with salesrising in nearly every retail sector on a month-to-month basis, the trade organization reported earlier this week. TheConference Board's Leading Economic Index -...Read More
RAPAPORT... Global demand for gold jewelry rose 1% year on year to 530.3tonnes in the first quarter, buoyed by strong demand from the Indian market,the World Gold Council (WGC) reported Thursday. The market for gold jewelry in the country grew 5% to125.4 tonnes in the three months ending March 31, as local prices for the metal droppedsharply in the first week of March. Consumers took advantag...Read More
The Diamond Producers Association (DPA), released a research report, entitled The Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact of Large-Scale Diamond Mining, on the socioeconomic and environmental benefits and impacts on local communities, employees and the environment by the mining activities of its own members.DPA Members generate more than US$16 billion in net socioeconomic and environmenta...Read More
RAPAPORT... Provenance and lab-grown diamonds have dominated the industry's conversation for some time, but developments in 2019 have made them the year's strongest news themes. In the 13th edition of the Rapaport Diamond Podcast, the team discusses these developments - which are being driven by the majors such as De Beers and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) - and their implications for...Read More
RAPAPORT... The US polished-diamond trade was sluggish in the firsttwo months of the year, with imports declining and exports stable. Bothcategories recorded a weaker February than January. The drops in import valuereflected a lower average price in both months, outweighing higher volumes.US Diamond Trade Data for February 2019 Millions unless stated otherwiseRead More
RAPAPORT... The original manuscript that paved the way for the cuttingof the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond to create the British Crown Jewels fetchedmore than seven times its high estimate at Bonhams. The sale included the documents representatives of KingEdward VII and London diamond brokers M.J. Levy & Nephew signed in 1908, aswell as a paste replica of the Cullinan diamond in its origin...Read More
TORONTO – Lucara Diamond Corp, which has recovered two of the largest diamonds in recent history, is turning to technology to ensure growth in an industry where new mine acquisitions remain elusive.For the Vancouver-based junior miner, that means using advanced technology like sorting based on atomic density to boost value from its Karowe mine in Botswana, and also diversifying away from min...Read More
LONDON – Mined diamonds are less carbon-intensive than man-made, but their producers should use more green energy, according to a study commissioned by the natural diamond industry, highlighting tensions between the mined and lab-grown sectors.The US Federal Trade Commission, which investigates allegations of deceptive advertising, sent warning letters to eight lab-grown diamond companies at...Read More
RAPAPORT... It's not often that a jewel sells for almost double itspre-auction estimate, but that happened this week with a rare Kashmir sapphireat Bonhams. The 17.43-carat stone fetched GBP 723,062 ($944,713), or close to$54,000 per carat, beating its high valuation of GBP 400,000 ($521,440). The cushion-shaped, vivid-blue stone dates to the late 19thor early 20th century, and was formerly o...Read More
RAPAPORT... Jewelers of America (JA) has announced the winners of its 29thannual CASE Awards for jewelry design, recognizing retail members whose piecesfeature creativity, artistry, style and excellence. A panel of judges chose the honorees from a group of 54applicants, evaluating entries' overall design, marketability, practicalityand wearability of the design, and manufacturing quality. "Th...Read More
RAPAPORT... Taking a break from the self-adulation typical of awards ceremonies, the Couture show has invited exhibitors to showcase the worst piece of jewelry they've ever designed. The WTF?! Awards will see applicants describe their designs with the opening sentence, "So what I was thinking was..."They have until May 15 to submit their designs, and the Couture community will vote on the win...Read More
RAPAPORT... Mejuri, a luxury-jewelry brand that sells directly to consumers online, has raised $23 million from investors as it looks to expand its operations.The Canada-based company will use the funds to open more physical stores, develop the business internationally, and invest in branding and customer experience, it said. The startup operates primarily as ane-commerce site, but also...Read More
James Allen, the etail-jeweler, will be offering laboratory grown diamonds (LGDs) to consumer. James Allen is the first created company in the Signet group to do so. Following this news, social media channels were buzzing with comments, condemnations as well as praise. Oded Edelman, President of James Allen, a firm that has been owned by Signet Jewelers since 2017, said that the sale of LGDs is a...Read More
RAPAPORT... The jewelry industry has a wide range of gender-disparityissues, including a discrepancy between how employers and employees viewequality in the workplace, a recent survey showed. Business owners expressed widely differing awareness than employees regarding nearly every gender-related workplace topic, according to the study conducted by the Women's Jewelry Association and MVI Mark...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will require customers to disclose key identification information as part of its new compliance program, it said Monday.Under the lab's Know Your Customer system, clients will need to confirm their identity and provide a proof of ownership of their companies. They will also be required to present identifying materials for any employees wh...Read More
RAPAPORT... Christie's New York auction will feature a 17.21-caratdiamond given to Queen Charlotte of Great Britain by a regional ruler in India.The pear-shaped, brilliant-cut diamond, called Arcot II, was found in India'sGolconda region in the late 18th century. The stone, presented to the queen by the Nawab of Arcot, will go under the hammerat the Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence sale on...Read More
(IDEX Online News) - Looking back at the previous months, there still was some movement - going up up here and dropping down there - in prices of diamonds under two carats. But in April, it seems the market simply had taken a step back and the sporadic price changes that occurred in rounds under two carats were mixed at best. Market commentators, however, like to point out that Apr...Read More
Alrosa, the world's largest diamond miner in volume, said it had generated $9.65 million from the sale of special sized diamonds (+10.8 carats) at its diamond auction in Vladivostok which took place on April 8-19. Alrosa hosted 29 companies from Belgium, India, Israel, the UAE, the USA, Hong Kong and Russia at the auction. A total of 150 diamonds with a total weight of 2481.9 carats were off...Read More
The Women's Jewelry Association's Gender Equality Project released the results of its first survey, which asked members of the gem, jewelry and watch industries to comment on workplace practices where gender could be a factor. WJA engaged MVI Marketing, a trade and consumer research company that works exclusively for the gem, jewelry and watch industries, to assist in designing a questi...Read More
Ans Anthonis, HRD Antwerp Chief Officer Diamond Lab & Research, will be presenting the impact of laboratory grown diamonds (LGDs) on the current market during a panel discussion to be held during the GemGeneve trade fair, on Thursday 9 May 2019, at 18:00. GemGeneve is held May 9 to 12, 2019. The lab will also host a daily workshop to teach show visitors more about HRD's latest range of eq...Read More