Canadian miner Mountain Province Diamonds has sold US$17.7 million (CDN$23.3 million) from 245,751 carats at an average realized value of US$72 per carat at its ninth rough diamond which closed on November 14, 2018. The total proceeds from the sale were the lowest of the year thus far, but the average price per carat was the highest since the $85 per carat earned at the company's fifth sale of the year in June.

Several sources, including Bloomberg and Rapaport, have reported that De Beers has slashed its prices on lower-quality diamonds at its latest sight this week, with the discounts ranging from high-single digits to as much as 10%. Difficult trading conditions have been widely reported in the rough diamond market in recent months, although the market for higher-quality and larger goods has remained strong with firm pricing in all categories.

Canadian miner Mountain Province's production and sales of rough diamonds from the Gahcho Kué mine underwhelmed in the third quarter of 2018, as production was on the downside of flat during the quarter, while sales increased against a low comparison point in 2017 and the cost of production rose. Sales increased by 15% to US$57 million (C$75 million) at an average price of US$73 per carat, but net income dropped by 37% to US$13 million (C$17.5m) from US$21million (C$16m).

This week, a group of nine government officials from four African diamond-producing countries (Cameroon, Congo Braza, Cote D'Ivoire, Guinea) embarked on a ten-day training course in Antwerp, furthering their knowledge of rough-diamond evaluation and valuation. The course, called the "KP Technical Assistance Valuation Program", originates from the commitment of the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI), which coordinates requests for Technical Assistance on behalf of the Administrative Support Mechanism (ASM) in the framework of the KP.

Russian diamond mining giant ALROSA reported a steep decline in rough diamond sales during the month of October, falling 28% year-over-year and 29% from September, but has still recorded 6% growth during the first ten months of the year. In October, ALROSA Group sold $243 million worth of rough diamonds compared with $326 million in October 2017, and $331 million last month. “In October, demand for small-size inexpensive rough diamonds continued to remain weak," says ALROSA Deputy CEO Yury Okoemov.

The Antwerp diamond trade in October booked value gains across all categories - particularly for polished-diamond exports and imports - with the exception of rough-diamond imports, which followed the recent decline in production and sales from the diamond miners.

Lucapa Diamond Company, which only two weeks ago commenced its commissioning of the 1.1Mtpa (million ton per annum) treatment plant at the high-quality Mothae kimberlite open-pit diamond mine in Lesotho, will be holding its first ever tender of Mothae diamonds in Antwerp, starting November 12. The Mothae treatment plant, which incorporates two XRT diamond recovery circuits, will be ramped up to its nameplate capacity throughout the December quarter.

The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC), according to a column written by President Mnangagwa in The Sunday Mail, that the country's diamond output was expected to shatter previous records. Zimbabwe aims to produce (at a stretch) three million carats this year, driven by a US$100 million investment in operations over the last two years. The ZCDC unearthed 2.4 million carats between January and October 2018, a significant increase over the 1.8 million carats achieved last year. ZCDC chief executive officer Dr.

All signs are pointing upward for Lucapa Diamond Co. these days, with the exception of their rough diamond sales in Q3, which fell by 49% as the miner withheld several exceptional, large and premium-value specials (+10.8 ct.) for sale at a later date. This parcel (pictured) includes a 46-carat pink, and top-color Type IIa white diamonds weighing 114, 85, 75, 70, 62, and 43 carats respectively.

De Beers’ rough diamond production declined by 5% to 8.7 million carats in the third quarter due to planned reductions in mining volumes in Botswana and South Africa, the miner announced today. In Botswana, production at the Jwaneng mine declined by 6% to 5.7 million carats due to the planned processing of lower grade material. Production at the Orapa mine remained in line with Q3 2017 at 2.6 million carats.

Petra Diamonds, with mining operations in South Africa and Tanzania, has released a promising and much-needed set of results from Q1 2019 (July 1 to September 30), reporting a 21% increase in diamond production and a 22% rise in revenue in the last three months.

Lucara Diamond Corp. will launch Clara Diamond Solutions, its 100% owned digital sales platform, in November 2018 with a select group of large vertically-integrated jewelry houses and global diamond manufacturers, the miner announced today. Rough diamonds offered in Clara's first sale will include a selection of diamonds from Lucara's Karowe mine and additional aggregated third-party rough diamonds consisting of stones between one and fifteen carats in size in the better colors and qualities.

Mountain Province Diamonds, which owns 49% of the the Gahcho Kué mine in the Northwest Territories in Canada, earned $24.2 million in its latest diamond sale in Antwerp, its eighth of the year. The miner sold 366,505 carats at an average realized value of US$66 per carat, which the miner said was in line with their expectations and reflect current market conditions.

India’s polished diamond exports rose by 6.6% during the six-month period ended September 30, 2018 (H1 FY 2018-19) despite a dip of 10.8% in exports during the month of September, according to provisional data released by The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). Exports of cut and polished diamonds from India during September fell to $2.37 billion from $2.65 bn in September 2017, while polished diamond exports from April-September 2018 increased $2.68 billion from the $11.90 bn exported over the same months last year.

The De Beers Group provisionally sold $475 million worth of rough diamonds during their eighth sales cycle (October 8-12) of 2018, representing the lowest value of sales at a sight this year. October sales fell by about 6% compared to Sight 7 after the actual September sales were revised down to $503 million from the provisional value reported last month at $530 million. Still, the recent sight is a significant, 26% improvement in comparison to the $376 million in rough sales achieved at Sight 8 in 2017. 

Russian diamond miner ALROSA recently concluded an auction of special-sized (10.8 carats and above) rough diamonds in New York, earning $7.9 million from the sale of 1,300 carats for an average price of approximately $6,077 per carat. This by far outstrips the average price the miner recently earned at an auction of the same category of diamonds in Hong Kong, which achieved $4,790 per carat.

Canadian diamond miner Stornoway sold 184,620 carats in two tender sales for gross proceeds of $24.7 million at an average price of US$103 per carat (C$134 per carat) as price weakness returned to smaller and lower quality diamonds, a decline of 7% compared to the second quarter. Prices in the larger and higher quality items have remained firm. By way of comparison, the miner sold 201,283 carats at two tenders in Q2 for $28.6 million, at an average price of US$109 per carat.

Russian diamond mining giant ALROSA's September sales continued the miner's positive trend in 2018 with an 8% increase in rough diamond sales compared to September 2017, which was admittedly a low comparison base. ALROSA sold $331.6 million worth of rough diamonds compared to $305.8 million a year ago, as the larger sized stones sold well while lower qualities and sizes set forth their downturn. 

The polished-diamond trade in Antwerp during September again witnessed a surging average price per carat, particularly for imports (+22%), however, the trading center remained quiet after the traditionally slow summer holiday, as a result of which the volume of goods traded declined notably. Some have attributed the September slowdown to the Jewish holiday period, while others tell us that Indian companies are still hesitant to acquire smaller goods, with many having already purchased what they need for the upcoming Diwali holidays.

Stephane Fischler, President of the World Diamond Council, spoke with Mines to Market. Some key takeaways [for the complete interview, click 'Read the full article']:

MtM: What is your idea of the ideal environment for the diamond industry to evolve in today’s scenario?

Fischler: The ideal scenario for the diamond industry, as for any industry, is a combination of positive tension on the 'supply and demand' side and growing consumer desire for the product. That is the theory.

Zimbabwe's Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC), the state-run entity overseeing the country's diamond mining and marketing operations, has announced it will introduce an electronic trading system to improve efficiency in line with international best practice. The online system will allow for the participation of international buyers who cannot physically attend an auction, as well as "do away with the excessive human interface which breeds corruption," writes The Herald. Zimbabwe’s second diamond tender of 2018 earned $28.3 million from 423,066 carats, even though the tender attrac

Russia's ALROSA has sold 2,234 carats worth of special size rough diamonds (larger than 10.8 carats) at an auction in Hong Kong, earning $10.7 million in sales revenue at an average price of $4,790 per carat. The 2,234 carats derived from 136 gem-quality diamonds, including 25 fancy yellow stones weighing 440 carats in total. 54 companies from Hong Kong, mainland China, Belgium, Israel and India took part in the auction.

Rio Tinto and Dominion Diamond Mines have revealed three of the finest large rough diamonds from their Diavik diamond mine in Canada, which will be showcased in Antwerp and Israel before being tendered to diamond specialists from around the world. The three rough diamonds, collectively named “The Diavik Stars of the Arctic”, will highlight a rough diamond tender of 'specials' (diamonds weighing more than 10.8 carats) before bids close on October 25.

Firestone Diamonds has just completed its first full year of production at the Liqhobong Diamond Mine (75% Firestone, 25% Government of Lesotho), ending an "eventful" year with mixed results. The company describes their first full year of production as "characterised by exceptional operational performance", as Firestone achieved their carat recovery guidance and exceeded their tonnage treated while operating at significantly lower cost than expected, and maintained an unblemished safety record.

Zimbabwe’s second diamond tender of 2018 earned $28.3 million from 423,066 carats, for an average price of $67 per carat. This represents a huge step forward as the country tries to regain market confidence and reclaim a stake in the global diamond trade, even though the tender attracted fewer international buyers than expected. 

Ari Epstein, CEO of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), along with several representatives from the Antwerp diamond industry today met King Letsie III of Lesotho in Brussels. Lesotho, a mountainous country fully surrounded by South Africa and numbering only two million inhabitants, is the world’s seventh most important diamond-producing country in terms of value. Lesotho’s entire diamond production, worth $342 million in 2017, is traded on the Antwerp market.

ALROSA, the world's largest diamond mining company, has sold 'special size' rough diamonds (larger than 10.8 carats) at auction in Vladivostok, with overall revenue amounting to $12.6 million. At its latest sale of large stones, the company sold 108 gem-quality lots with total weight of 2,003 carats. 76 companies from Russia, mainland China, Hong Kong, the US, Israel, Belgium, India and UAE took part in the auction.

Russian diamond mining company Arkhangelskgeoldobycha (the licence holder for the Grib diamond pipe in the Arkhangelsk Region), which recently changed its name to AGD Diamonds, has consolidated a 100% stake in Grib Diamonds. Grib Diamonds is the Antwerp diamond trading company responsible for marketing rough diamonds produced at the Vladimir Grib Diamond Field through auctions held on its web-based platform. The move is intended to establish a fully-fledged diamond mining company, including exploration, production and sales.

Rough diamond imports to India, home to the largest world's largest diamond cutting and polishing industry, have fallen for five consecutive months, according to figures from industry body the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). The GPEPC's most recent figures show that from April through August (FY 2018), the value of rough diamond imports have declined by 7 percent to $7.16 billion from $7.69 billion a year earlier. In volume terms, imports are down 9% to 68.6 million carats from 75.3 million carats compared to the same period last year.

Russia's ALROSA, the world's largest diamond mining company, has commenced a rough diamond auction in New York, featuring 81 rare gem-quality 'specials' (diamonds larger then 10.8 carats) discovered in 2017-2018. The auction will include some of ALROSA's most unique recent recoveries, such as a transparent 98-ct diamond with a yellowish hue (pictured above) and a diamond weighing over 100 carats. Both stones were mined at the Yubileinaya pipe in Yakutia.

Lucapa Diamond Company today announced that a selection of large, premium-value Lulo diamonds will be the first Lulo production sold through new marketing channels being introduced as part of Angola’s diamond sector reforms, which represent a milestone for Angola's rough diamond trade. Additionally, Lucapa has exported its first parcel of ~2,500 carats of diamonds recovered from the Mothae kimberlite diamond mine in Lesotho to the global diamond trading centre of Antwerp, Belgium. 

Russian diamond miner ALROSA presented its first ever collection of large, fancy-colored polished diamonds at the Hong Kong Jewelry & Gem Fair, marking the initial stage of their new strategy to become the world leader in the production of colored polished diamonds. The collection showcased in Hong Kong is comprised of 250 diamonds of different shapes and hues, with the auction scheduled for September 19. "ALROSA polished branch now focuses on the processing of large and coloured diamonds and the subsequent sales," said Evgeny Agureev, Director of the United Selling Organization of ALRO

The polished-diamond trade in Antwerp rode a higher average price per carat, particularly for exports (+6%), to solid value gains during the traditionally slow month of August, when the industry takes a three-week hiatus. The volume of rough goods traded during the month declined notably without having much impact on the overall value of those goods, as the average price per carat for rough goods is also outpacing that of the year prior by approximately 6%.

Russian diamond miner ALROSA sold $294.9 million worth of rough and polished diamonds in the typically slow month of August, representing a 14% rise year-over-year. The miner sold $283.2 million worth of rough diamonds during the month, an 11% increase over the same period in 2017. Meanwhile, polished-diamond sales increased 516% y-o-y and 121% over July, earning $11.7 million, as the group hosted several sales.

Representatives from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) this morning joined Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs, Didier Reynders in Angola, where he hosted a Diamond Breakfast Symposium in cooperation with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Angola, HE Frank Felix. The mission to Angola is intended to reinforce the momentum established between the two countries during the visit of the President of Angola, João Lourenço, to Antwerp last June, where they discussed increased cooperation concerning diamond trading.

Diamond mining giant De Beers reports provisional sales of $505 million during the seventh cycle (September 3 - 7) ahead of the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, which gets underway this week. Rough sales were flat year-over-year ($507 million in 2017) and declined as anticipated from the $533 million sold in Cycle 6.

Last week, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and the University of Antwerp hosted an “Innovation and Diamonds” conference at the Antwerpsche Diamantkring - the only rough diamond bourse in the world - featuring internationally-recognized experts from across the spectrum of the diamond trade, including alternative financing, the impact of digital on the luxury segment, the feasibility of small-scale ethical mining, as well as the earthquake and aftershocks of De Beers’ foray into lab-grown diamonds: LightBox.

Gem Diamonds, which operates the Letšeng mine in the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa, famous for producing the world’s most valuable stones, is in the midst of a banner year as a record number of large diamond recoveries (+100ct) pushed revenue to $167.7 million, up 81% from $92.9 million in H1 2017. The company set a half year record of ten diamonds greater than 100 carats, including the recovery of the 910 carat Lesotho Legend, which was sold in March to an Antwerp company for $40 million ($43,912 per carat).

Canadian miner Mountain Province Diamonds earned US$26.9 million (CDN$35.3 million) from the sale of 411,317 carats at their seventh Antwerp sale of the year, completed on August 31. The overall average realized value was only US$65 per carat, a slight decline from their previous sale, driven by a lower qualites and downward pressure on the market for smaller goods, while their 'specials' (larger than 10.8 carats) continued to perform well. 

Canada's Lucara Diamond, through its subsidiary Clara Diamond Solutions, has inked a cooperation agreement to include Sarine Technology's mapping and planning technologies into its sales platform, which applies algorithms to match rough diamond production with polished manufacturing demand on a stone by stone basis.

Koin International Tenders has announced the addition of the KEM production (Kimberley Ekapa Minerals, South Africa) to its rough tenders. Previously offered only in South Africa, this sought-after production will now be offered at Koin tenders in Antwerp. An initial sale of over 66,000cts of 3Gr down and 10.80+ Single Stones will be on offer. Viewings for 10.80+ will be from August 20 to September 5, overlapping with Run of Mine production from the 28 August to 7 September.

Sales at Botswana's state-owned Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) fell by 16 percent in the first half of 2018 to $260 million, said managing director Marcus ter Haar, citing a high comparison base against last year's record growth, as Reuters reports. The company sold 1.778 million carats in the first half of 2018 compared with 1.808 million carats in the same period last year.

Russian diamond mining giant ALROSA has tested a new payment mechanism enabling foreign clients to purchase rough stones using Russian currency. As an experiment, transactions were conducted with clients from China and India, and if necessary, the company is prepared to use this payment scheme in rubles in the future. 

Russian mining giant ALROSA saw its July rough diamond sales increase by 17% year-over-year to $333.8 million from $286.1 million as demand for expensive high-quality diamonds remained strong. Total sales for the month increased by 16% to $339 million, including $5.3 million in polished diamond sales, a 28% decline from the same month in 2017, excluding the sale of the Dynasty Collection and the 51.38-carat round stone, the central diamond in the eponymous collection.

Rising prices of rough and polished diamonds led to substantial value gains for Antwerp’s diamond trade in July, which surged during the weeks preceding its traditional August recess, according to data from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC). Rough diamond imports surged by 23% and exports by 18% compared to the same month a year ago, while polished imports gained 28% in value and exports gained more than 8% compared to the month of July 2017.

De Beers Group (provisionally) sold $530 million in rough diamonds during the sixth Cycle of 2018, representing a 9% decline from the $581 million sold during the previous cycle, and an 8% drop compared to the same period a year ago. The company attributed the slowdown to a seasonal decline rather than any structural change to demand, having remarked recently that the outlook for 2018 global consumer demand remains positive in most of the main diamond-consuming countries, based on world economic prospects, positive consumer sentiment and continued investment in marketing.

In June 2018, Russian mining giant ALROSA Group sold $390.3 million worth of rough and polished diamonds. The miner's earnings from rough diamond accounted for $383.7 million of total sales, an 8% increase over the $354.4 million sold in June 2017. The company also sold $6.6 million worth of polished diamonds, four million less than in the same month last year. During the first half of 2018, ALROSA sold $2.639 billion worth of rough diamonds, also an 8% rise over the first half in 2017.

Canadian miner Stornoway Diamonds saw its sales and diamond output slip in the second quarter, with the results, "reflect[ing] the ongoing transition from open pit to underground mining and the introduction of ore-waste sorting." Stornoway held two tenders in Antwerp compared to three in Q1, earning US$21.9 million (C$28.6 million) from the sale of 201,283 carats, compared to US$43.3 million (C$56.6 million) from the sale of 399,135 carats in Q1.

Following successful auctions of special size rough diamonds (weighing over 10.8 carats) in Vladivostok, New York, Israel and Dubai, Russian miner ALROSA earned total sales revenue of $10.4 million at their latest auction in Hong Kong, which is more than 1.5 times higher than the starting price. In total, 100 gem-quality lots with a total weight of 1,550 carats were sold. The companies from the largest diamond trading centers, including Hong Kong, Belgium, Israel, India, the UAE and Russia, attended the auction. 28 firms were recognized as winners for different lots.

Angolan President João Lourenço has vowed to reform Angola’s diamond industry, increasing its transparency in order to facilitate the exportation of goods, attract foreign investment and increase government revenue from the country's natural resources.

Canadian miner Mountain Province Diamonds (49% participant with De Beers Canada in the Gahcho Kué diamond mine in Canada’s NWT) announced the results of its recently completed fifth diamond tender sale of 2018, and the total proceeds from the sale - US$30.3 million (CDN$40.0 million) - set a new high for Mountain Province’s tender results to date. The tender also included the sale of the miner's highest value individual diamond, as well as the highest attributable value per ton ($234) to date, with a normalised value at US$86.

ALROSA, the world's largest diamond mining company, is organizing a contest for diamond and football fans alike: create a 'football' name for large rough diamond (76.53 carats), and win a ticket to the final game of the FIFA World Cup 2018™. The centerpiece stone of this contest will also constitute the core of a 'football' collection of special size rough diamonds to be auctioned in Moscow. Fans may submit their ideas to www.diamondsofrussia.ru. The winner will also receive a certificate that the stone is named after his or her idea.

Dominion Diamond Mines will hold an online auction of its latest production of fancy colour and +10.8 carat rough diamonds, in co-operation with I. Hennig Tenders, on Thursday, 19 July 2018. Dominion says the most recent production from the Misery kimberlite pipe, of the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories of Canada, has delivered a quantity of exceptional yellow fancy colour stones, which will be presented for sale at the upcoming auction.

Rough diamond demand remained strong at De Beers June sight, as the mining giant provisionally sold $575 million of rough diamonds for the fifth sales cycle of 2018 (Global Sightholder Sales and Auction Sales), its second largest take in 2018. Earnings from this sale represent a 6% increase over the same cycle in 2017 and a 3% increase over the $560 million sold in its fifth cycle of 2016.

On the sidelines of the Kimberley Process Intersessional taking place this week in Antwerp, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate their common objectives of improving the image, professionalization and marketing of African diamonds.

Lucara Diamond Corp.,a leading producer of large exceptional quality Type IIa diamonds from its 100% owned Karowe Mine in Botswana, achieved $32.48 million at its 12th Exceptional Stone Tender which concluded yesterday. The tender consisted of 10 single stone lots, ranging from 472.37 to 40.4 carats in size, totaling 1,453.06 carats and included two diamonds greater than 300 carats.

Australian diamond miner Lucapa Diamond Corp. earned US$2 million (A$2.7 million) in revenues from its latest sale of rough diamonds from the Lulo Diamond Project in Angola. Lucapa sold 1,782 carats at an average price per carat of US$1,150 (A$1,530). Including this sale, the miner's gross proceeds from Lulo diamond sales to date in H1 2018 now sits at US$15.9 million (A$20.2 million) at an average price per carat of US$1,642 (A$2,093). The sale excluded a number of large white specials (+10.8 carats) and a coloured special, which were held back for a future sale.

Koin International will hold a rough diamond tender in Antwerp from 18 - 26 June 2018, including original productions from Meya Mining (Sierra Leone), Ekapa Minerals (Kimberley, South Africa), and over 60,000cts of rough goods from Angola. The tender will also feature an Single Stone Tender of 'special' (+10.8 carat) stones from Angola. All productions are a full range of colours and qualities.