(IDEX Online) - One of the highlights of the upcoming 4th Mediterranean Gemmological and Jewellery Conference (MGCJ), to be held May 18-20, in Budva, Montenegro, will be the introduction of an affordable synthetic diamond identification kit and other portable instruments that will enable users to help identify loose and mounted melee-sized synthetic diamonds, as well as larger stones.   MGCJ...Read More

(Kitco News) - Gold andsilver futuresprices are higher in early U.S. trading Thursday, on follow-through strengthfrom Wednesday’s gains. The cash gold market is a bit weaker today. Officialdaily metals futures settlement prices occur in early afternoon, U.S. time.Thus, the disparity sometimes between cash and futures daily pricechanges-especially when bigger price moves occur later in the af...Read More

The discovery dates of 2017's 10 largest copper-producing mines show exploration has slowed and more investment is needed to keep up with global demand for the red metal.Read More

(Corrects day in first paragraph to Thursday from Wednesday)MUMBAI, March 22 (Reuters) - India's Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) MCEI.NS will start trading in brass futures from next week as it tries to provide a benchmark price and hedging tool to the industry, the bourse said on Thursday.MCX will start trading in three contracts of brass, an alloy made of copper and zinc, from March 26.The lot si...Read More

SHANGHAI, Mar 22 (SMM) – This is a roundup of global macroeconomic news last night and what is expected today.Last nightThe US dollar dropped below 90 at one point and then hovered around 89.7 as the Federal Reserve anticipated hiking interest rates three times in 2018, below market expectations of four hikes. Nonferrous metals rose due to the weak US dollar and higher oil prices....Read More

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Global diamond miner De Beers is expanding its Forevermark in key European countries, with the brand entering the German market and potentially also France and Italy.The Anglo American subsidiary is aiming to bolster the diamond brand’s visibility in key European countries, which attract a flow of international travellers from large diamond consumer ma...Read More

Domestic prices for rebar and import prices for steel billet in Egypt both increased this week even though demand has started to fall, Metal Bulletin has heard.Beshay Steel was offering rebar at E ?12,996 ($736) per tonne ex-works on Saturday March 17, and the country's biggest producer, Ezz Steel, has been offering rebar at E ?12,790 per tonne ex-works since March 14, including 14% VAT.Metal Bull...Read More

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Thursday as investors booked profits after this week’s rally, but losses were limited by the continuing efforts of OPEC and its allies to curb supplies.Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down 66 cents at $68.81 a barrel by 1410 GMT, having retreated from a session peak of $69.70, close to its highest level since early February. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (...Read More

RAPAPORT... Forevermark ismaking a play for the European market, after achieving significant retail growth last year. The De Beers brand has signed an exclusive licensing deal with German jeweler Heinz Mayer to sell products in thekey nation, it said Thursday. The Idar-Oberstein-based diamond specialist willpresent the collection at the Baselworld show, which runs until Tuesday.  Forever...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The ALROSA Group is launching its first national commercial device for the identification of natural and synthetic polished diamonds - the ALROSA Diamond Inspector.   "The company expects that its relatively low price and high accuracy will allow the detector to be in demand both in Russia and abroad. It will help fight unscrupulous suppliers who mix synthetic stones grown in...Read More

Ascendant acquired the 70-year-old zinc, silver and lead mine in December 2016 and embarked on a turnaround programme, increasing milled production 81% and decreasing direct operating costs by 31% during 2017.  The turnaround was in step with a rising zinc price throughout 2017 that went on to reach a 10.5-year high earlier this year but has since eased about US$300 a tonne to around $3,...Read More

SHANGHAI, Mar 22 (SMM) –Copper: LME copper rebounded from the $6,700/mt level overnight as long positions entered the market. Copper prices are expected to rebound if China's economic data remain strong and the global bearish sentiment eases. We see LME copper trading at $6,800-6,860/mt today, with the SHFE 1805 contract trading at 51,000-51,600 yuan/mt. Spot discounts are seen smaller a...Read More

* Dollar weakens broadly after Fed forecast 2 more hikes in 2018* Fed upbeat on economy; notch up 2019, 2020 forecast* New PBOC Governor bumps up short-term rates slightly* Oil at 6-week high on U.S. inventory, OPEC stance* European shares seen 0.1-0.4 pct lowerBy Hideyuki SanoTOKYO, March 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar slipped on Thursday after the Federal Reserve held back from increasing the pa...Read More

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – TSX-listed diamond miner Lucara has announced that incoming Lucara CFO and corporate secretary Zara Boldt will join the management team as the company focuses on increasing the value of its core diamond mining business at Karowe, Botswana, and on supporting the development of Clara, the company’s new secure, digital diamond sales platform, said Lucara...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices started retreating again on Thursday March 22 after holding steady for a day with traders eager to offload their materials.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,610-3,700 yuan ($570-585) per tonne, down 30-60 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 3,830-3,860 yuan per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonne Trading activity was low on Wednesday when traders kept their prices u...Read More

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress raced on Thursday to approve a massive spending bill and send it to President Donald Trump before a midnight Friday government shutdown deadline, in a move that would significantly boost defense and non-military funding through Sept. 30.The House of Representatives cleared the way for a vote on the measure later on Thursday, voting 211-207 to open debate. I...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The International Gemological Institute (IGI) has announced screenings to determine the origin of diamond inventory for manufacturers operating out of SEEPZ (Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone) in Mumbai in order to ensure only natural diamonds are part of merchandise offered to consumers.   IGI is the only full-fledged laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment for...Read More

Steve Curtis, chief executive of Caledonia Mining Corporation PLC (LON:CMCL), tells Proactive they achieved a new production record at the Blanket mine in Zimbabwe, unearthing 56,133 ounces of gold in 2017, some 11.5% more than in the preceding year.Curtis also discusses the recent moves to relax the indigenisation policy in Zimbabwe and how Caledonia plans to take a much larger stake than it curr...Read More

* Dollar weakens broadly after Fed forecast 2 more hikes in 2018* Fed upbeat on economy; notch up 2019, 2020 forecast* Oil at 6-week high on U.S. inventory, Iran nuke deal worriesBy Hideyuki SanoTOKYO, March 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar slipped on Thursday after the Federal Reserve did not signal a faster pace of rate hikes this year while worries about a coming announcement on tariffs from U.S....Read More

(Kitco News) - Gold prices quickly climbed in Asian trading on Friday, as investors rushed to safety amid escalating fears of a trade war following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of tariffs on Chinese goods.April Comex gold futures jumped to $1,336.70, up 0.70% on the day, while spot gold on Kitco.com was last trading at $1,337.00, up 0.63% on the day. By Anna Golubova For Kitco...Read More