ALROSA, the world leader in the diamond mining industry, has successfully completed its own specialized "True Colours" auction with a total sale of $9 million worth of coloured diamonds.
210 unique diamonds were sold in the first round. The bidding was very active, and most of the lots were sold for well above their starting price. The "hero stones" - stars of the collection with a particularly rare combination of qualities, generated enormous interest from bidders. One such "star", which attracted a lot of attention from buyers around the world, was an oval cut Fancy Vivid Orangy Yellow diamond weighing 15.11 carats.During the course of the bidding the diamond doubled in price.
"The collection of large coloured stones - all cut by our company - which we brought to Hong Kong was the biggest in ALROSA's history. We sold the lots for well above their starting prices and consider the auction results to be very positive," said Pavel Vinikhin, Director of the DIAMONDS ALROSA cutting division.
Chinese companies were particularly active in the bidding. 9 of them bought 20 large stones between them. Chinese buyers showed special interest in coloured diamonds of one carat and under. These stones were sold in groups, intended for use by jewellery manufacturers.
During the auction, more than 100 participants from around the world were active on ALROSA's own electronic trading platform.
It is noteworthy that Typhoon Manghout, which swept through the city during the Hong Kong Gem & Jewelry Fair had affected the auction results: many clients were unable to get to Hong Kong and view the lots at the Fair or in the company's office. ALROSA therefore plans to hold an additional auction in the near future.
"We also plan to hold the "True Colours" auction on a regular basis - once or twice a year. The results of the bidding clearly show that we have successfully taken another significant step towards our goal of becoming the world leader in the production of coloured diamonds," said Mr. Vinikhin.
The collection in the auction was created from rough diamonds extracted from the deposits of ALROSA's subsidiaries: Anabar Diamonds in Yakutia and Severalmaz in Arkhangelsk Region. ALROSA possesses substantial reserves of coloured diamonds and is also actively developing its cutting division, with a special focus on large and coloured diamonds.
About ALROSA
ALROSA is the world's leading diamond mining company, accounting for 27% of global rough diamond production in terms of carats. The company operates 11 kimberlite pipes and 16 alluvial deposits in Yakutia and Arkhangelsk Region of Russia. ALROSA stones are mined in conflict-free areas and come straight from the producer, ensuring transparent origin. The company is also a leader in terms of social responsibility, spending $150-200 mn a year for social projects and $100 mn for environment.
Besides rough diamond mining, ALROSA has its own in-house cutting and polishing division, DIAMONDS ALROSA. The branch is concentrated on coloured and large colourless stones.