The past year was a difficult one overall for the metals, with the main standouts to the upside being a geopolitical risk-driven gain in gold, a China-driven rise in iron ore and a surge in uranium on broadening global support for nuclear power (Figure 1). A jump in global interest rates to near two-decade highs saw recession fears persist all year, and while one still did not actually eru...Read More

This year the post-global health crisis boom was brought to an end by a surge in inflation to forty-year highs, a major rise in global interest rates in an attempt to curb the rising prices and surging geopolitical risk after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While precious metals held up reasonably well as markets turned to them as a risk hedge, by Q2/22 the higher interest rates put an end t...Read More

Chile is the world leader in copper production, at 28.5% of the total in 2020, and this looks set to continue, with the country having the largest global reserves, at 23.0% of total. It is also the global leader for molybdenum, which is often found along with copper, and is a major lithium player, holding 51.1% of global reserves. Read More

Newfoundland has become a gold exploration hotspot over the past few years, with the sector seeing some of its strongest activity ever. While the province remains a small contributor to Canadian gold production, it has a substantial mineral industry well supported by the government, focused on iron ore, copper and nickel, and the surge in exploration suggests that gold output from the...Read More

Nevada is the core of the U.S. gold output, accounting for by far the majority, at 75.4% on average for the past year. The state looks set to remain a dominant player in U.S. gold, as it accounts for 49% of total U.S. reserves, with Alaska slightly ahead with 51% of reserves, but just 8.6% of current production. The U.S. accounts for 6.1% of global gold output, making Nevada one of the largest gol...Read More

The Golden Triangle in northwestern British Columbia has historically been a major site of Canadian gold production, beginning as early as the mid 1800s. There was a wave of production in the 1990s which cooled as the gold price declined, but larger scale production resumed in 2017, and the area has seen surging exploration interest over the past year, given that the region has some of the largest...Read More

In this report we outline the Quebec gold mining industry, including its major producers, and a survey of many of the junior miners focused on the province. Quebec accounts for 34% of Canadian gold production (second to Ontario, with 44%) and remains a major focus for both producers and junior miners.Read More

Red Lake has been one of the most prolific gold mining districts in Canada and the world, with exploration having started in the 1920s, and production, which began in the 1930s, continuing to the present day. The district is known for the high grade of its gold, its infrastructure, and strong institutional support, given the long history of mining in the area.Read More

(IDEX Online) - Gem Diamonds saw revenue and average per carat prices down by around a quarter during 2023 amid ongoing "downward pressure" in the rough market.The UK-based miner operates Letseng, in Lesotho, the highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond mine in the world.It says total sales for the year were $139.4m, down 26 per cent, and the average per carat price was down 24 per cent to $1,3...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The IDEX Polished Price Index dipped very slightly during January (down by 0.27 per cent) following on from a 1.9 per cent rise in December.The change of direction, after a long post-Covid decline, reflects a confusion and uncertainty that seems to pervade the industry at present. The market appeared to be showing some early signs of a recovery as 2023 came to an end. What...Read More

(IDEX Online) - US consumers will spend a record $6.4bn on jewelry this Valentine's Day according to a new NRF survey. That's a 14 per cent increase on last year's predicted spend of $5.5bn.Over half the population (53 per cent) say they'll be celebrating, according to an annual survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and data insights company Prosper Insights & Anal...Read More

(IDEX Online) - A hesitant start to 2024. Round prices started to pick up in December, but haven't followed through in January. And fancies sustained some significant losses during the month. We're in the lull between the holiday season and Valentine's Day, and nobody's really sure which way prices are moving. India's two-month moratorium is credited with sparking some rec...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Sanctioned Russian miner AGD Diamonds has announced its first "extra large" recovery of 2024 - a 52.47 carat gem quality diamond.AGD produces diamonds from the Grib diamond pipe - named after Russian geologist Vladimir Grib - 130km from Arkhangelsk, in north-west Russia.Its Belgium-based subsidiary, Grib Diamonds, was also sanctioned when the US responded to the invasion of Ukraine...Read More

IDEX Online) - Rough sales showed some early signs of recovery at De Beers' first sight of the year. The UK-based miner said yesterday (31 January) that demand was increasing but cautioned that a full recovery would take time. Total sales (provisional) for Cycle 1 were $370m as India resumed purchases after a two-month moratorium and US consumer spending increased during over the holiday seas...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The Kimberley Process today is under renewed pressure to review its definition of conflict diamonds as it concludes a closed meeting today (31 January) in Dubai.KP Civil Society Coalition (KPCSC), the observer group of mostly African diamond-producing countries, says in a statement that such a move is long overdue, especially given Russia's invasion of Ukraine."Civil society i...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Alrosa and Endiama are reported to be heading for a messy divorce over Catoca, the world's fourth biggest diamond mine.The Russian and Angolan mining companies, both state-controlled hold 41 per cent and 59 per cent stakes respectively in Sociedade Mineira de Catoca, the company that operates the mine.Angola is pushing for Alrosa to withdraw unconditionally from the venture, a...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey, who found fame as singing duo Chloe X Halle, are Pandora's newest global ambassadors, together with actress Selma Blair, best known for the movies Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde and The Sweetest Thing.They're part of a new new brand campaign "Be Love", designed to broaden consumer perception of Pandora as a full jewelry brand, beyond the...Read More

(IDEX Online)  - A 21.38 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond is to be auctioned tomorrow (31 January) at Sotheby's Hong Kong with an estimate of HKD 8,000,000 to 11,000,000 HKD ($1m to $1.4m).The radiant-cut VS1 gem is flanked by two tapered baguette diamonds, mounted in platinum and 18 karat yellow gold, inscribed HW (Harry Winston).The FCRF (Fancy Color Research Foundation) gives the ston...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Adamas One Corp, the publicly traded lab-grown diamond company, could be delisted from the Nasdaq after failing to submit financial details on time. It says that despite missing its deadline, it was "working diligently" and expected to file its Annual Report 2023 Form 10-K shortly.Adamas One produces single-crystal diamonds for gemstone and industrial applications in Greenvill...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Lucapa reported a slight increase in total rough sales for FY2023 in what it described as a solid performance.The Australian miner announced revenues of $102.2m, up by 1 per cent on the previous year.Q4 earnings from its two mines - Lulo in Angola and Mothae in Lesotho - slipped by 1 per cent to $40.8m.During the year Lucapa sold 11 diamonds from Lulo that fetched a total of $32.7m...Read More

Three U.S. military personnel were tragically killed and at least 34 wounded, some seriously, over the weekend in what the U.S. government claimed was a drone attack in northern Jordan. There’s some doubt about whether it was a drone because 37 casualties is a large number for a drone attack. A larger missile is a possibility. There’s also some doubt about the reported Jordanian locati...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Tiffany & Co is targeting high-spending customers in China with a digital recreation of its flagship store in Paris.Visitors to the luxury e-commerce platform Tmall Luxury Pavilion will able to browse the virtual La Place Vendome outlet and make purchases.Tmall is a Chinese-language website for B2Conline retail, launched in 2008 by Alibaba Group which generated $126bn revenue l...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Botswana's diamond industry says it is concerned and frustrated by new requirement that all diamonds are certified in Antwerp before entering G7 countries.The single entry point is a part of a sanctions package aimed at outlawing Russian diamonds. It was partially introduced on 1 January and will be rolled out in coming months.Brad Brooks- Rubin, head of the G7 Diamond Technic...Read More

(IDEX Online) - A TikTok video of a woman who accidentally broiled her topaz and diamond ring in the oven with Brussel sprouts for Thanksgiving Day has had over 2.4m views.Jacki Gansky, 29, was concerned it wouldn't survive 30 minutes in a 415F/215C oven, but she needn't have worried.Diamonds and topaz are both formed at temperatures of around 2,000F/1,050C.Jacki, a US actress received t...Read More

(IDEX Online) -  A tourist from France found one of the largest diamonds ever recovered at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, in Arkansas, USA.Julien Navas unearthed a 7.64 carat chocolate brown stone, after days of heavy rain washed away soil at the "dig your own diamond" attraction.Visitors using basic tools search the 37-acre field - the eroded surface of a volcanic crater - for a variety...Read More

(IDEX Online) - LVMH saw improved performances from its watches and jewelry businesses during 2023, with reported revenue up three per cent to $11.84bn.Organic revenue grew by a "robust" 7 per cent and profit from recurring operations was also up 7 per cent, the company said in its full year results published on 25 January.The French luxury conglomerate, which owns 75 maisons, reported total...Read More

(IDEX Online) - A luxury lab grown startup has won an investment of just over $315,000 on the UK reality TV show Dragons' Den.Sidney Neuhaus and Jessica Warch, friends from Antwerp, established the jewelry brand Kimai in 2018 and found fame a year later when Meghan Markle wore a pair of their earrings. They sent her a cold email.The pair impressed Steven Bartlett, one of the dragons (judges)...Read More

As Donald Trump consolidates his election mojo defying the forces arrayed to destroy him and more of the country turns against the creepy apparition in the White House purportedly running against him, you hear evermore chatter that a panicked Democratic Party will insert Michelle Obama in a last-minute convention switcheroo next August.The explications I hear in the chat media all sound lame o...Read More