(IDEX Online) - Stuller, Inc. has announced a new strategic service arrangement with GIA (Gemological Institute of America) by offering GIA's Melee Analysis Service inside its global headquarters in Lafayette, Louisiana. Melee used at Stuller's facility will be screened on-site by GIA staff independently operating the GIA-owned analytical instrumentation in a dedicated, secured space. &nbs...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Hong Kong-based Diamond Services, a developer of technological systems and services for detecting synthetic, imitation and treated diamonds, says research it conducted indicates that High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) created diamonds subjected to irradiation treatment may not be detected by many of the screening devices that test diamonds at room temperature. ...Read More
(IDEX Online) - De Beers Group is donating $250,000 to the Kiran Hospital in India's diamond center of Surat "to support the recently-opened facility in continuing to provide vital, accessible and high-quality healthcare to patients." The miner said the donation "reflects De Beers' commitment to helping create a sustainably better future for the communities it operates in, to leave a positi...Read More
RAPAPORT... Hong Kong-based jewelry retailer Chow Tai Fook saw a jump inquarterly sales amid stronger consumer sentiment and an increase in goldprices. Total retail sales leaped 13% in mainland China and grew 11%in Hong Kong and Macau in the fourth fiscal quarter ending March 31, thecompany reported Monday. Same-store sales - at branches open for two years -increased 7% on the mainland and surged...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has launched amelee-screening center on the premises of diamond supplier Stuller, enablingthe jeweler to verify the natural origin of its stones.The arrangement allows Stuller to sell its natural diamondsto retail clients with an accompanying GIA document stating that the goods arenot synthetic or simulants. The GIA independently operates the...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The De Beers Group has announced that it is preparing to pilot a program called GemFair to create a secure and transparent route to market for ethically-sourced artisanal and small-scale mined (ASM) diamonds. GemFair will use dedicated technology to record ASM production at mine sites that meet demonstrable ethical standards, with the aim of purchasing of rough diamonds from...Read More
RAPAPORT... Louis Vuitton has appointed Francesca Amfitheatrof artisticdirector of watches and jewelry, the luxury retailer said Monday. Amfitheatrof (pictured) will be in charge of creating jewelry and high-jewelrycollections, as well as overseeing all Louis Vuitton watch designs. "It is with great excitement that I join Louis Vuitton, ahouse I feel deeply connected to thro...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Leo Schachter said that Rosy Blue has become a minority investor in its business. The transaction is expected to close soon, and will mark a culmination of over 30 years of a trading relationship built between the two groups, the Leo Schachter firm said in a statement. "Leo Schachter will continue to operate independently under the Schachter family's majority ownersh...Read More
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Diamond miner De Beers’ global sightholder and auction sales earned the company $520-million in the third sales cycle of this year.This is lower than the $563-million earned in the second sales cycle of this year, as well as the $586-million earned in the third sales cycle of 2017.AdvertisementDe Beers CEO Bruce Cleaver said that while the second quart...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Diamond Producers Association (DPA) has appointed GrantMobley to manage relationships with the US jewelry industry. As head of US trade, a newly created position, Mobley (pictured) will oversee the DPA's marketing program "Real is Rare. Real is a Diamond". He will interact with retailers and others in the industry, updating them about the campaign and hearing their...Read More
(IDEX Online) - De Beers sold rough diamonds with a provisional value of $520 million, following confirmed sales of $564 million in the second sales cycle (Global Sightholder Sales and Auction Sales) of 2018. Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said: "While the second quarter of the year is traditionally a seasonally slower period, we continued to see good rough diamond demand in the third...Read More
VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – The TSX-quoted equity of project developer Star Diamond (formerly Shore Gold) closed in the black on Monday after a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) on its fully-owned Star-Orion South kimberlite projects reported strong metrics.The PEA reported an after-tax net present value on a conceptual 66-million-carat mine plan, at a 7% discount rate, of C$2-billion...Read More
RAPAPORT... Polished manufacturer Rosy Blue has agreed to acquire aminority share in Leo Schachter, as the diamond suppliers seek to make theiroperations more efficient. The deal will enable the firms to use each other'sinfrastructure around the world, providing better value for their clients, LeoSchachter said in a statement Monday. Leo Schachter will still operateindependently under the Schachte...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The Diamond Dealers Club (DDC) held its annual Israel Diamond Week from April 10-12, welcoming Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) members to its new premises for the first time. As in the past, members of both bourses exhibited their goods on the DDC trading floor, now located at 50 West 47th Street. "I believe this will be a successful year for both the US and Israel [ma...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers' April sight closed with a value of $520 millionamid concerns among manufacturers that higher rough prices could affect profitmargins.De Beers raised prices by 1% to 2% from the previous salefor larger size categories, sightholders told Rapaport News this week. Inaddition, De Beers adjusted the way it arranged stones into assortments that itsells, resulting in most of the boxe...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Sales of fine jewelry and fine watches rose by 7.2 percent in the U.S. market in February 2018, when compared to the same month a year ago, as the graph below illustrates. Sales were an estimated $6.6 billion, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Commerce Department, likely influenced by Valentine's Day purchases. Strong Start to 2018 Jewelry Sal...Read More
Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe has retracted his remarks over the alleged missing $15-billion diamond revenue amid investigations by the national assembly, according to a report.In a claim that's coming back to haunt him, the former Zimbabwe strongman said in 2016 that $15-billion worth of diamonds were spirited out of Marange, the dusty fields more than four hours’ drive...Read More
Arctic Star Exploration (TSXV: ADD) announced today that it has received diamond results from caustic fusion analyses on the kimberlite discoveries within the Timantti Diamond Project in Finland.According to Rockstone Research, such a finding is important because, different from other sites around the world, Arctic Star's property is located in proximity to civilization and infrastructure. Timantt...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers has terminated the sightholder status of Gitanjali Gems following fraud allegations against the Indian jeweler's managing director,Mehul Choksi. De Beers took the decision in February, meaning Gitanjalican no longer make any purchases from the company, a spokesperson for the roughproducer confirmed in a statement to Rapaport News Monday. "De Beers has introduced more rigorous...Read More
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diamond miner Lucapa has reported a 10% increase in production during the March quarter, with 4 507 ct recovered during the three months under review.Lucapa told shareholders that 58 special diamonds were recovered during the quarter under review, which was a 53% improvement on the previous quarter. These recoveries included two stones of more than 100 ct each.Adve...Read More