RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company brought in $1.5 million at a sale of goods from its Mothae mine, with individual stones fetching up to $15,000 per carat.The Australia-based miner sold 4,000 carats of rough diamonds it recovered during initial bulk sampling at its assetin Lesotho, which began commercial production earlier this month, it said Thursday.Last week, Lucapa recovered a 78-carat w...Read More
RAPAPORT... The second-largest diamond in history was probably twice as big before it broke into pieces, researchers at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) have claimed.Similarities between the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, the 812-carat Constellation and three other stones suggest they were all one large piece of rough weighing at least 2,774 carats beforevolcanic eruptions or mining process...Read More
RAPAPORT... Whether it's a blessing or curse, we're certainly living in interesting times, and 2018 delivered a host of standout developments that will have a lasting impact on the diamond industry. In the latest Rapaport Diamond Podcast, the editorial team looks back at some of the key themes that shaped the year in our coverage on Diamonds.net. What were the biggest stories of the year...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) is to join the MyKYCBank platform of India's Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council. Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of DMCC, and Chairman of DDE, and Pramod Kumar Agrawal, Chairman, GJEPC, signed the agreement which enables DMCC members trading in diamonds, gold and precious stones to join the MyKYCBank platform. DM...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Lucapa Diamond Company Limited has announced the finalization of S$7 million in development funding from the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC) for its Mothae kimberlite diamond mine in Lesotho. The funding from the IDC, which is one of the largest development financiers in southern Africa, followed the execution of the loan and ancillary agreements and...Read More
It was a great year for Africa-focused Gem Diamonds (LON:GEMD), as the company recovered a record number of huge precious stones from its flagship Let??eng mine in Lesotho.With the two latest, a high quality 101 carat and 71 carat white Type IIa diamond, both recovered within a 24-hour period, the number of stones over 100 carats dug up at the mine reached a record 14, the company said Wednesday...Read More
Hong Kong-based jewellery giant Chow Tai Fook is the latest industry heavyweight to join De Beers' pilot of its end-to-end diamond blockchain program called Tracr, which aims at clearing the supply chain of imposters and conflict stones.Chow Tai Fook's participation will further extend the platform's reach into the Asian diamond sector, particularly in Greater China, the world's No. 1 diamond pr...Read More
RAPAPORT... HRD Antwerp will open a diamond-jewelry grading laboratoryin Dubai's Almas Tower through a partnership with retailer Stargems Group. The center, which will be HRD's first such lab in the MiddleEast, will be located within the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) FreeZone, the gemological group said Wednesday. HRD and Stargems signed a memorandum of understanding inwhich the lab...Read More
RAPAPORT... Global jewelry sales increased 4% in the third quarter, drivenby growth in North America, according to market research by Alrosa. Sales in North America rose 4% despite concerns over theUS-China trade war, the Russian miner said Wednesday. Revenue in the Asia-Pacific region, including India andsoutheast Asia, rose 3% amid a continued expansion of national retailers acrossmainland...Read More
RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds has recovered two large diamonds within a 24-hour period at its Let??eng mine in Lesotho, the company said Wednesday. The high-quality stones are white, type IIa diamonds weighing 101 carats and 71 carats, it added. The 101-carat stone is the 14th diamond over 100 carats the miner has found this year, a record for the company. Last year, Gem Diamonds unearthed eight...Read More
RAPAPORT... Baselworld and Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie inGeneva (SIHH) will take place back-to-back from 2020 in an attempt by theirorganizers to reinvigorate interest in the shows. SIHH, which is usually a January event, will instead runfrom April 26 to 29 in Geneva, while Baselworld will begin immediatelyafterward, from April 30 to May 5. That show is usually scheduled for Ma...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers has expanded its blockchain initiative into theAsian retail sector by signing up Chow Tai Fook, the largest diamond jeweler inthe region. Chow Tai Fook's participation will enable De Beers to extendthe reach of the Tracr diamond-tracking program into greater China and thewider Asian market, the companies said Wednesday. "Authenticity, provenance and traceability are increasin...Read More
(IDEX Online) - HRD Antwerp has signed a partnership with Dubai-based jewelry retailer Stargems to certify its jewelry inventory through the establishment of a diamond jewelry grading lab. The cooperation agreement will ensure the transparency and authenticity of each jewelry piece, the sides said in a statement. As a result of the collaboration, HRD Antwerp will open its first diam...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Gem Diamonds Limited has announced the recovery of high quality 101 carat and 71 carat white Type IIa diamonds. They were recovered within a 24-hour period at the Let??eng mine in Lesotho, the highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond mine in the world, the miner said. The recovery of the 101-carat diamond brings the total recoveries at Let??eng during 2018 to a re...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group is joining the Tracr?,,? end-to-end diamond industry blockchain traceability platform being developed by the De Beers Group in collaboration with key industry stakeholders. Chow Tai Fook joins a range of other leading businesses from across the diamond value chain in piloting the next generation asset-tracking platform powered by blockchain...Read More
RAPAPORT... Global jewelry sales increased 4% in the third quarter, drivenby growth in North America, according to market research by Alrosa. Sales in North America rose 4% despite concerns over theUS-China trade war, the Russian miner said Wednesday. Revenue in the Asia-Pacific region, including India andsoutheast Asia, rose 3% amid a continued expansion of national retailers acrossmainland...Read More
RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds has recovered two large diamonds within a 24-hour period at its Let??eng mine in Lesotho, the company said Wednesday. The high-quality stones are white, type IIa diamonds weighing 101 carats and 71 carats, it added. The 101-carat stone is the 14th diamond over 100 carats the miner has found this year, a record for the company. Last year, Gem Diamonds unearthed eight...Read More
The Letšeng mine in Lesotho has produced a 101 ct diamond, bringing the total recoveries to a record 14 diamonds of more than 100 ct during the year, London-listed Gem Diamonds reported on Wednesday.Besides the 101 ct diamond, the miner also extracted a 71 ct white Type IIa diamond.AdvertisementLetšeng is the highest dollar per carat kimberlite mine in the world.To watch Creamer Medi...Read More
RAPAPORT... Belgium's polished trade dropped in November, according todata from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. Exports fell 11% amid a loweraverage price, with volumes down 1%. Rough shipments also declined. However,polished trading is up for the year to date, with rough mostly flat. Millions unless stated otherwiseRead More
RAPAPORT... De Beers sold $540 million of rough diamonds in its Decembercycle, buoyed by the return of Indian manufacturers from their seasonal holidayshutdown, the company said Tuesday. Revenue from the 10th cycle, including last week's sight inBotswana, jumped 22% from $442 million during the previous cycle. Proceedsclimbed 19% versus a year ago. Sales "continued to be in line with expectations...Read More