The Natural Diamond Council announced a major partnership with eight of the world’s most influential diamantaires. For the first time since the inception of the NDC (formerly the Diamond Producers Association), a collective agreement has been reached with a significant number of major businesses in the natural diamond value chain.
The world bids farewell to yet another giant in the diamond industry.
At 84 years of age, Sir Gabriel ‘Gabi’ Tolkowsky ends a 6-decade long career and leaves behind him a legacy that has forever reshaped the art of diamond cutting and polishing.
At the most recent WDC board meeting held in London, longtime diamond industry advocate and former Senior VP of Corporate Affairs at De Beers Group Feriel Zerouki has been named the new President of the World Diamond Council (WDC). Zerouki previously served as Vice President of the WDC for three years, now replacing Edward Asscher for the role of President.
The Antwerp Beurs Voor Diamanthandel has announced that David Gotlib has once again been re-elected as Chairman. The organization has been advocating for the promotion and protection of the interestes of its members and shareholders in the diamond sector in Antwerp since its inception in 1904.
Zvi Yehuda, one of the founders of the Israeli diamond industry, owner of Yehuda Diamond Company and the inventor of numerous products for the diamond trade, died Saturday at 86. He is best known for his contributions to the Israeli diamond sector by introducing the concept of selling back diamond dust to cutters and polishers for use in grinding, at only 16 years of age. Later this innovation translated into industrial diamond dust sales internationally.
According to the GJEPC on April 18, a group from De Beers Group and and the Republic of Botswana’s minister of minerals and energy Lefoko Maxwell Moagi visited the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai. The delegation met with members of the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council to discuss strengthening diamond trade ties with India. Desipite recent ongoing negotitations between the mining giant and the Botswana government regarding the renewal of their decades-long collaboration, this public display of solidarity was quite noteworthy, potentially indicating some headway on the matter.
The CEO of Namibia Desert Diamonds (NAMDIA) expressed interest to work with the Angolan diamond companies after a recent visit from the Angolan Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, Dr Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, at the NAMDIA Headquarters. Their talks highlighted the potential Namibia and Angola has in promoting the region’s diamonds to generate even greater value for Namibia and Angola, both of which are alluvial-producing countries.
Cartier, delegated by Richemont, and Kering launched the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 driven by a common conviction that the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aspirations for a sustainable industry can only be achieved through collaborative initiatives. The global initiative is open to all watch and jewellery players with a national or international footprint. It is committed to a common core of key sustainability goals in three areas: building climate resilience, preserving resources, and fostering inclusiveness.
On 27 March, HB Antwerp officially opened the doors of HB Botswana, the company’s first branch outside Antwerp. During the inauguration ceremony, H.E. Dr. Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi, President of Botswana, announced a strategic partnership between the Government of Botswana and HB Antwerp whereby the Government will invest in HB by acquiring a 24% equity stake in HB Antwerp.
Dholakia Foundation, philanthropic arm of Hari Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd., has been granted special accreditation to participate in the UN World Water Conference 2023. To discuss further how to achieve SDG objectives and to honor current players who have contributed with notable efforts to such goals, the organization organized a gala dinner this weekend in New York.
Angolan Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Diamantino Azevedo has announced that the country intends to create tax incentives to attract more investors to the diamond-cutting sector.
The announcement was made over the weekend by the minister at the inauguration of the fifth diamond-cutting factory at Saurimo Diamond Development Park in the Lunda Sul province.
Large diamond player Shree Ramkrishna Exports (SRK), has attained the Membership of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and announced that the company will be joining the Task Force of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC).
The Task Force is a global collaborative effort to develop a systemic risk management framework that can reduce socio-economic inequalities. RJC Members commit to and are independently audited against the RJC Code of Practices – an international standard on responsible business practices for diamonds, gold and platinum group metals.
Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi last week Sunday warned that his country may sever ties with diamond giant De Beers if talks to renegotiate a sales deal prove unfavorable to his government.
[A DIAMOND LOUPE EXCLUSIVE STORY] - It was only just last September that Canadian mining company Arctic Canadian (AC) announced the recovery of a yellow diamond weighing an impressive 71.26 carats. The rough octahedron gem is currently the largest known fancy vivid yellow diamond ever discovered in Canada.
Antwerp’s Sahag Arslanian joins the Armenian Jewellers Association as its newly appointed Vice President. He is currently director of the Arslanian Group as well as vice president of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre.
According to Reuters, Petra Diamonds invited merger and acquisition proposals on Monday, with CEO Richard Duffy saying the industry would benefit from consolidation.
"We have got opportunities to grow organically but given that we are through this restructuring and we have a much more robust balance sheet, we would be willing to consider consolidation if it makes value sense," Duffy told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town.
According to a statement released by the country’s financy minister in Gabarone, Botswana expects economic growth of 4% during 2023 while targeting medium-term growth of 5.7%. The government plans to use this windafall in proceeds to beef up infrastructural investments around the country.
After a nearly 12-year negotiation, the High Court of Zimbabwe has granted a default order against the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, relating to a historic parcel of 129,400-carats of rough diamonds, which will be released to AIM UK-listed Vast Resources.
The company expects to receive the signed court order in coming days, following which Vast will clean and value the diamonds for the purpose of selling through a tender.
Vast will then determine the final quality assortment of the parcel once the diamonds are in its possession.
Ruba Abu-Nimah, Tiffany & Co.’s executive creative director for marketing and communications has left the brand. Abu-Nimah joined the American jeweller in March 2021, reporting to Alexandre Arnault, executive vice president of product and communications, following LVMH’s takeover that January.
Her departure was first reported by Women’s Wear Daily.
De Beers have announced the provisional value of their first sales cycle of 2023 for rough diamond sales at $450 million. The company also confirmed actual sales for between the 5 December and the 20 December at $417 million.
The $450 million compares unfavourably to $660 million in sales revenue for the same period last year.
After a 3-year pause due to Covid-19, Israel International Diamond Week is finally back, launching its next edition from March 27 – 30, 2023. The event will feature a much-anticipated tender of polished goods held at the Israel Diamond Exchange’s International Tender Center. The tender will be conducted by Diagurus from March 26 – 30, 2023.
Amid the threat of a looming financial recession for the diamond sector in Surat, the GJEPC now seeks a new series of policies they believe will add to manufacturing revenues. This has been another of a late series of attempts by the GJEPC to counter-act the pressures facing India’s diamond sector since the decline of Russian imports and the closure of the Chinese marketplace.
The Chinese conglomerate Fosun, best known as being the largest shareholder of insurer Ageas, is considering selling its majority stake in International Gemological Institute (IGI). The deal could value the Antwerp-based diamond evaluator at around 200 million euros, the Bloomberg news agency learned from sources close to the file.
In October, Fosun announced that it plans to sell up to $11 billion in assets to improve its liquidity position. In addition, Fosun would now, together with Deutsche Bank, evaluate the possibility of selling its 80 percent stake in IGI.
De Beers Group today announced that Stephen Lussier, De Beers Group Executive Vice President for Brands & Consumer Markets, will step down from his executive responsibilities on 1 April 2022 after 37 years with the company. Lussier will continue to contribute to De Beers as a strategic advisor and will continue to serve in his role as Chairman of the Natural Diamond Council.
Citing plummeting demand for cut and polished diamonds in the West and China, the Surat Diamond Association has published a report that over 20,000 workers have been put out of work in the last one month in Surat, India.
The IIJS Signature expo returns to Mumbai this year after starting today January 5th going through the 9th. The expo organized by the GJEPC is taking every effort to make the show bigger, better and greener, expecting over 30,000 visitors to this year’s event. The expo plans to be carbon-neutral by 2025-26 and this expo is the first effort in that direction.
BlueRock Diamonds says it has finally gotten through the last of the problems that cut its processing production by over 30% caused by unseasonable rains that flooded the country last
April and again in October through November. In an update posted by London-based miner the company confirmed it was now back to normal production levels, even during a particularly rainy fourth quarter.
India’s Ministry of Finance has amended the ‘Exports by Post’ Regulations 2018 respectively for allowing postal authorities to set up, operate and maintain the PBE (Postal Bill of Export) Automated System for filing of electronic declaration for export of goods through Post.
Diamond miners in Zimbabwe are now required to pay half their royalties to the government in rough stones, 40 per cent in local currency and 10 per cent in foreign currency. The annual earnings of the mining sector have nearly doubled from US$2.7 billion in 2017 to US$5.73 billion in 2021. Projections by the Ministry of Finance show that mining earnings will reach US$7.3 billion by the end of the year, achieving 60.8% of the US$12 billion target for 2023.
With the imminent coronation of England’s newest monarch, Leviev Diamonds has unveiled “Empresses” — two rare, pristinely cut stones to pay tribute to Camilla, Queen Consort and Her Royal Highness Catherine, The Princess of Wales.
Molefi Letsiki is the chairman of the South African Diamond Dealers Club, executive committee member of The World Federation of Diamond Bourses and one of the founding members of Young Diamantaires. He is also the co-founder and former president of the South African Young Diamond Beneficiators Guild which aims to achieve increased diamond beneficiation of African produced rough diamonds, and ambassador of World Diamond Council systems of warranties.
PRESS RELEASE: Dec. 5, 2022, released by CIBJO
UPDATE ON WILLIAMSON TSF DAM BREACH: (announced by Petra Diamonds November, 30, 2022)
Impact on the environment and local community
Lucapa Diamond Company Limited has announced earlier this week that seven exceptional diamonds achieved USD $20.4 million on international diamond tender. The international diamond tender was conducted by SODIAM E.P. in Luanda, Angola and featured seven special sized diamonds weighing 767 carats. The diamonds were recovered by SML from the Lulo alluvial mine. Most notably, “The Lulo Rose”, a 170-carat fancy coloured diamond was among the stones up for tender, along with three +100 carat white Type IIa diamonds and three other special sized white Type IIa stones.
Australian miner Lucapa discovered a massive 170ct pink diamond at its Angolan Lulo mine, believed to be the largest pink recovered in the past 300 years. The incredibly rare find is named "The Lulo Rose".
On Tuesday, President Masisi of Botswana, the First Lady, and a large delegation including the country's Minister of Minerals and Energy Moagi and Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation Kwape visited the Antwerp diamond community.
Today the step-cut fancy-vivid blue diamond weighing 15.10 carats sold for (450.9 million HKD) US$57.47 million, or over US$3.8 million per carat, at Sotheby's Hong Kong auction.
Several media report the global financial watchdog FATF today in Paris at its plenary session has decided to "gray list" the United Arab Emirates over concerns that the UAE hasn't made enough progress in tackling illicit financial flows, Bloomberg stated.
We were very saddened to receive the news of the passing away of Mrs. Dorothée Gizenga, founding Executive Director of the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI), now part of Resolve. Mrs. Gizenga passed away of complications from diabetes on February 18 in Kinshasa.
She was a leader in the campaign to end conflict diamonds from the start when the Kimberley Process was established and was a tireless advocate on behalf of the world’s 1.5 million artisanal diamond miners as executive director of DDI.
Auction house Sotheby’s announced they will auction ‘The De Beers Cullinan Blue’ - one of the most valuable blue diamonds ever - in April.
Auction house Sotheby’s announced an extremely rare black diamond of 555.5 carats with a 55- facet cut, called the Enigma, will go under the hammer in February.
The Enigma was listed in the 2006 Guinness Book of World Records and will become the largest of its kind to be put up for auction. Sotheby’s expects the stone to fetch between $4.1 and $6.8 million.
According to the auction house, the Enigma is a rare piece that cannot be compared to other diamonds or even other black gemstones sold in the past.