RAPAPORT... LVMH Luxury Ventures has joined two other investors in a $90 million funding round for lab-grown producer Lusix.The money will help Lusix open a new, solar-powered factory in Israel, where production is due to start this summer, the company said Friday."I don't think there's ever been, so far, a leading luxury brand that has invested in lab-grown diamonds," Lusix founder Benny Lan...Read More
RAPAPORT... The International Gemological Institute (IGI) has graded a 30.18-carat lab-grown that it claims is the world's largest polished synthetic diamond.Mumbai-based lab-grown company Ethereal Green Diamond created the emerald-cut, H-color, VS2-clarity diamond, named Pride of India, IGI said last week. The stone was made using chemical vapor deposition (CVD).The polished diamond was fashioned...Read More
(IDEX Online) - GIA is to close its Antwerp grading lab, saying it is no longer economically viable.It will stop taking submissions on 1 July and cease trading altogether on 31 July.GIA indicated back in August 2020 that it could close or scale down the Antwerp operation. The Covid pandemic added to its woes, on top of a shift to manufacturing in India and banks' reluctance to lend. Belg...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A US tourist had his unique $1m Hublot watch - set with over 32 carats of black diamonds - snatched from his wrist in Barcelona.He suffered minor injuries in the incident outside the five-star Mercer Hotel, where he is believed to have been staying. Unconfirmed reports identify the stolen watch as a Hublot Black Caviar Bang.The timepiece is described by its Swiss makers as a w...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A Patek Philippe watch made in 1990 and described as "possibly unique" sold for $2.5m at auction, smashing its $829,000 high estimate. The watch, Ref 3974, (pictured) was the most technically sophisticated watch of its day - with a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar, 24-hour indication and phases of the moon. It sparked a furious bidding war between 20 potential buyers at Phill...Read More
(IDEX Online) - At least FORTY diamond miners are feared dead after a mine collapsed in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the country's minister of the interior.The artisanal workers were in underground shafts in Samba, near the city of Tshikapa, in the southwestern region of Kasai.Initial reports after the mine collapse on Tuesday (7 June) indicate there were six fatalities. T...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A new record for the world's largest polished lab grown diamond has been set by Indian company Ethereal Green Diamond LLP, with a 30.18-carat stone.It snatches the title from Greenlab, another Indian company, which announced just over two weeks ago that it had produced a marquise step cut 27.27-carat diamond.Both stones were certified by IGI. The 30.18-carat emerald-cut gem, c...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 44 points in pre-opening trade.U.S. equity index futures moved lower following release of the May Consumer Price Index at 8:30 AM EDT. May U.S. Consumer Price Index to be released at 8:30 AM EDT on Friday was expected to increase 0.7% versus a gain of 0.3% in April. Actual was an increase of 1.0%. On a year-over-year...Read More
News: Las Vegas shows open amid hopes they will boost sentiment for 2H. US demand steady. China improving. Concerns about pending shortages continue as supply splits between Russian and non-Russian goods. Cutters finding ways to buy Alrosa rough to serve centers open to Russian-origin polished. De Beers raises prices of small rough amid strong demand, scarcities, and high premiums on secondary ma...Read More
RAPAPORT... Shares in Signet Jewelers soared nearly 9% in early trading Thursday as the company's revenue edged out analysts' forecast and its full-year guidance surpassed expectations.Revenue rose 9% to $1.84 billion in the 13 weeks that ended April 30, as the retailer sold a larger proportion of high-value goods and introduced several new offerings, Signet reported Thursday. That figure is sligh...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will shutter its Antwerp laboratory on July 31 in response to dwindling demand, the organization confirmed to Rapaport News.It informed clients of the closure earlier this week, a GIA spokesperson said Wednesday. Customers will still be able to send submissions to other GIA laboratories using Malca-Amit's shipping services, he added."This...Read More
RAPAPORT... A diamond weighing more than 100 carats smashed its high estimate at Christie's New York Wednesday, raking in $20 million.The emerald-cut, 103.49-carat, D-flawless, type IIa Light of Africa was the star of the Magnificent Jewels auction, surpassing its $18 million presale upper price tag. The stone is the fifth most-valuable colorless diamond Christie's has ever offered, it said Thursd...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers raised prices of smaller rough diamonds at its June sight in response to a strengthening market for that category.The increase was around 8% to 10% across all goods under 0.75 carats, market insiders said Wednesday. "They held back [adjusting prices] for two sights, being responsible and not wanting to jump on speculation after the Russian invasion," a source explained. "...Read More
(IDEX Online) - This year could prove to be a tipping point for lab growns, say IDEX Online's expert analysts in their new 2021 Pipeline report.The industry enjoyed a "dream year", but the mined sector lost a potential revenue of $20bn to lab growns, they say.Sanctions on Russian rough - around 30 per cent of global supply - could now force high-end jewelers to start using lab growns in their...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Chow Tai Fook today reported a 41 per cent increase in revenue, despite ongoing Covid lockdowns and their impact on sales.China's biggest jewelry retailer said earnings for the year to 31March 2022 were HK$98.9bn (US$12.6bn) and gross profit was up by 11.3 per cent to HK$22.3 (US$2.8bn).Despite "the lingering effects of the pandemic and global economic uncertainties," the reta...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 22 points at 7:30 AM EDT The European Central Bank is scheduled to update its monetary policy this morning at 7:45 AM EDT. It is expected to end its simulating monetary policy.Tesla advanced $26.25 to $751.82 after UBS upgraded the stock to Buy.Target gained $1.64 to $158.34 after the company announced a 20% increase i...Read More
RAPAPORT... Zack Kramer has left his position as president of Brilliant Earth after just over a year in the role.In June, he became chief operating officer of financial services company Pendrell Corporation, according to his LinkedIn profile. Kramer started at Brilliant Earth in March 2021, following three years as vice president and general manager of sound and audio brand Sonos.Brilliant Earth,...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) plans to convert all of its paper reports to digital within the next three years, beginning with its Diamond Dossier in 2023.The digital reports, which it will link to an app, will be more secure than their paper counterparts, the GIA said Tuesday. They will be paired with a new inscription-matching service, called GIA Match iD. This feature c...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Sanction-hit Alrosa is expected to make no dividend payment to shareholders for the second half of last year, citing the need to "maintain sustainability of its operations".The miner, a third owned by the Russian government, today announced that its supervisory board was recommending the move.In 1H 2021, Alrosa paid out just over $1bn (RUB64.7bn) to shareholders, more than 70% of t...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Bank of America is forecasting a 15 per cent increase in diamond prices this year, amid the ongoing squeeze on supplies.It says supply of diamonds is now the lowest since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008. And the US currently accounts for a half of global demand, says the bank, one of the world's largest financial institutions.Sanctions on Russia, over its invasion of Ukrain...Read More