RAPAPORT... Diamantaires and jewelers discussed ways of creating an ethical diamond supply chain last week when they gathered at Rapaport's Town Hall Meeting in Las Vegas. The forum, which took place at the JCK show on June 3, aimed to develop a more unified approach to source verification. Attendees shared their experiences of working to ensure their products came from trustworthy suppliers, and...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The government of the Central African Republic (CAR) has appointed Peter Meeus, an international diamond specialist, as Special Advisor to the government. The move is in line with the country's continuing process of complying with the standards of the Kimberley Process Certification System (KPCS) to make the production and marketing of its diamonds transparent and comp...Read More
Russian diamond mining major Alrosa is currently holding an auction in Hong Kong for large rough diamonds, and will soon start a second one in Vladivostok. The Hong Kong auction started on June 13 and will run to June 27. The Vladivostok auction will start on June 18 and conclude onJune 29. In both cases, the rough stones being auctioned will each weigh more than 10.8 ct. Both auctions will involv...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Central AfricanRepublic (CAR) has appointed industry veteran Peter Meeus as a governmentadviser, in line with the nation's efforts to make its diamond sector compliantwith global standards.Meeus (pictured), asinternational diamond specialist and special adviser, will help CAR with itsattempts to meet the Kimberley Process (KP) Certification System rules andimprove the performance o...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers Diamond Jewellers has launched a new retaillocation in Kowloon, Hong Kong, its fourth in the municipality. "[The store] reinforces our existing network in greaterChina," Fran??ois Delage, CEO of De Beers' retail operation, said Thursday. "Itis important to us to continue to develop our brand presence in the region." The 1,000-square-foot store will carry a range of bridaldiamo...Read More
RAPAPORT... Sotheby's will offer historic jewels from the royal Bourbon-Parma family at its Geneva sale in November, led by pieces that belonged toMarie Antoinette. "It is one of the most important royal jewelry collectionsever to appear on the market," Daniela Mascetti, Sotheby's deputy chairman of jewelry for Europe, said Wednesday. Thecollection has not been seen in public for 200 years, the au...Read More
RAPAPORT... Angola is seeking stronger ties with Antwerp as the southernAfrican nation looks to improve the profitability and transparency of itsdiamond sector.The country has failed to benefit sufficiently from itsdiamond resources due to government policies, according to its president, Jo??oLouren??o, who came to power in September and is planning to reform theindustry. Catoca, the country's lar...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Indian diamond jeweler Nirav Modi, wanted in India in connection with an alleged $2 billion fraud, and his brother Nishal, a Belgian national, are believed to have fled to Brussels in March, and Modi may now be in the United Kingdom, according to reports out of India. Modi fled to Brussels after Indian authorities requested Interpol take action to arrest him. Modi is...Read More
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The value of illegal mining and dealing of metals and diamonds in South Africa is estimated to be more than R7-billion a year, says PwC.In its latest edition of 'SA Mine', the professional services firm equates this to revenue generated from 430 000 oz of gold at the current market price.AdvertisementThis ninth-edition work was released shortly ahead...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Lucara Diamond Corp. has appointed Ayesha Hira as its Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy, effective immediately. Her primary responsibilities will be investigating strategic growth opportunities including mergers and acquisitions, the miner said. She will also assist Eira Thomas, President and CEO, with corporate communications and shareholder relati...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Gemstone miner Gemfields reported record revenues of $71.8 million from its latest auction of ruby from its Montepuez mine in Mozambique. Of the 86 lots offered, 82 were sold (95%), with an average price of $122 per carat, a new record for Gemfields' mixed quality ruby auction, the firm said. The proceeds of this auction will be fully repatriated to Gemfields' ruby mine, MRM...Read More
Ayesha Hira has been appointed VP corporate development and strategy at Vancouver-based diamond miner Lucara. She will also be integral in assisting the CEO with corporate communications and shareholder relations.Advertisement“Hira is ideally suited to leading an assessment of potential growth opportunities for Lucara going forward. She will also play an important role...Read More
Shares in Petra Diamonds (LON:PDL) climbed around 5% on Wednesday after the South African miner said shareholders had approved a rights issue to raise about $170 million to help cut its debt burden.The company has more than $600 million of debt it accumulated by building a new plant and digging deeper at its flagship Cullinan diamond mine.The company, owner of the iconic Cullinan mine, where the...Read More
RAPAPORT... Comedian Pete Davidson reportedly proposed to singer ArianaGrande with a 3.03-carat diamond engagement ring. The teardrop-shaped, VVS1-clarity diamond ring is set inplatinum and is surrounded by smaller diamonds, according to news website TMZ.The piece cost $93,000, and was custom designed by New York jeweler Greg Yuna,also known as Mr. Flawless, according to the report. Grande (pictur...Read More
RAPAPORT... A 20.47-carat flawless diamond ring was the top seller atChristie's Magnificent Jewels auction in New York on Tuesday.The old-mine, brilliant-cut, D-color, type IIa piece soldfor $2.7 million. Its pre-sale estimate was $2.5 million to $3.5 million.Another top lot was a heart-shaped, 15.36-carat diamond pendantnecklace by Leviev, which fetched $1.6 million, exceeding its pre-sale estima...Read More
RAPAPORT... Indian authorities have called on Interpol to help trackdown Nirav Modi, according to Reuters, following reports the fugitive jeweleris in the UK. The nation's federal law-enforcement agency has asked the internationalpolice organization to issue a "red notice" - a request to locate and arrest asuspect pending extradition, Reuters reported Monday. Modi, the subject of a $2billion...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Sotheby's said that one of the most important royal jewelry collections ever to come to auction will come under the hammer in Geneva on November 12. Entitled "Royal Jewels from the Bourbon-Parma Family", the auction will span centuries of European history, from the reign of Louis XVI to the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and "will offer fascinating insights into the s...Read More
LONDON – Shareholders in mining company Petra Diamonds on Wednesday approved a rights issue to raise about $170-million to help cut its debt burden, driving the share price around 5% higher.The company, which has suffered setbacks in Tanzania as well as production delays and strikes, had said there was a risk it could run low on working capital and breach its debt covenants if shareholders d...Read More
(IDEX Online) - ALROSA will spend RUB 5.5 billion ($87 million) on environmental programs this year, an increase from RUB 4.4 billion ($70 million) last year which enables the miner "to significantly increase monitoring over the state of the environment". In particular, last year ALROSA implemented two projects of significance: the restoration of sewage treatment facilities in Udachny wher...Read More
RAPAPORT... Comedian Pete Davidson reportedly proposed to singer ArianaGrande with a 3.03-carat diamond engagement ring. The teardrop-shaped, VVS1-clarity diamond ring is set inplatinum and is surrounded by smaller diamonds, according to news website TMZ.The piece cost $93,000, and was custom designed by New York jeweler Greg Yuna,also known as Mr. Flawless, according to the report. Grande (pictur...Read More