U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 26 at 7:30 AM EDT.Responses in currency markets to the Federal Reserve's decision released yesterday are continuing this morning. The U.S. Dollar Index has strengthened relative to all developed world currencies. The Canadian Dollar is down another 0.27 to US72.54 cents.The Canadian government is scheduled to release...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Botswana government has refuted a report that the country might scale back its sales partnership with De Beers.The local Sunday Standard claimed Botswana was expected to offer most of its large stones through parastatal Okavango Diamond Company to a partnership between Lucara Diamond Corp. and Belgian manufacturer HB Antwerp.President Mokgweetsi Masisi "publicly and forcefully...Read More
RAPAPORT... Hong Kong's hard-luxury sales rebounded in September amid an improved job market and a new stimulus payment.Sales of jewelry, watches, clocks and valuable gifts rose 8% year on year to HKD 3.44 billion ($437.6 million) for the month, the municipality's Census and Statistics Department reported Tuesday. While July's sales saw a 30% boost, the growth slowed in August, rising only 4%. Sep...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has appointed World Diamond Council (WDC) president Edward Asscher as vice chairman at its first in-person board meeting since the start of the pandemic.In addition to serving his second term as head of the WDC, Asscher, who was elected at the October 6 meeting in London, is the founder of the Royal Asscher Diamond Company, the RJC said Tuesday....Read More
RAPAPORT PRESS RELEASE, November 2, 2022, Las Vegas... Diamond trading was cautious in October as demand softened. Dealers lacked the urgency to buy, anticipating further price drops. The Jewish holidays and India's Diwali festival also slowed business. US jewelers remain optimistic for the upcoming holiday season despite high inflation and economic declines.The RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI?,,?) for...Read More
RAPAPORT... A 6.25-carat emerald that spent nearly four centuries in the depths of the ocean is set to go under the hammer at an upcoming Sotheby's sale in New York.The octagonal step-cut gem, salvaged from the fabled Nuestra Se??ora de Atocha shipwreck of 1622, will be one of the items the auction house will showcase at its December 7 Magnificent Jewels sale, it said Monday. A specialized team le...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Botswana's president has slammed a newspaper suggestion that the country would no longer be selling its larger diamonds to De Beers.Mokgweetsi Masisi told delegates at the Natural Diamond Summit, in the capital Gaborone, that the report was "false" and "ludicrous". The Sunday Standard newspaper ran a story headlined "Masisi to ditch De Beers for Lucara and HB Antwerp?".It...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A long-lost emerald, salvaged from a 400-year-old shipwreck is to be auctioned by Sotheby's New York.The octagonal step-cut 6.25 carat emerald ring will be sold with a $50,000 to $70,000 estimate and all proceeds will go to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.The gemstone was lost for 363 years after the galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha sank during the hurricane season in th...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB), in Mumbai, India, has celebrated 12 years of operations. Vice president Mehul Shah thanked the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE), in Ramat Gan, saying it had served as inspiration for the venture. The BDB complex (pictured), covering 2m sq ft, was designed in the shape of a diamond and, like IDE, it has interconnected high-rise buildings....Read More
U.S. equity index futures were mixed this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 2 points in pre-opening trade. Focus today is the FOMC announcement on monetary policy at 2:00 PM EDT. Consensus calls for an increase in the Fed Fund Rate by 0.75% to 3.75%-4.00% and a $95 billion asset purchase.Advanced Micro Devices $AMD added $2.41 to $62.07 after the company offered positive fourth quarter revenu...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Botswana government has refuted a report that the country might scale back its sales partnership with De Beers.The local Sunday Standard claimed Botswana was expected to offer most of its large stones through parastatal Okavango Diamond Company to a partnership between Lucara Diamond Corp. and Belgian manufacturer HB Antwerp.President Mokgweetsi Masisi "publicly and forcefully...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The overall trend is still downwards, although there are pockets of price increases among some sizes. Consumers are tightening their belts, which is having a clear impact on diamond prices. They're buying smaller stones, or if they do opt for bigger stones, they're settling for lower colors and clarities.HIGHLIGHTED CHANGESRounds1.00-1.24 ct. H-I / IF-VS2 -1.5-5...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 41 points in pre-opening trade. Goodyear Tire dropped $1.05 to $11.65 after the company reported lower than consensus third quarter earnings. Stryker fell $11.10 to 218.14 after the company lowered its fourth quarter guidance.Marriott Vacations added $2.22 to $149.88 after reporting higher than consensus third quarter...Read More
(Updates prices) By Peter Hobson LONDON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Copper prices fell on Mondayas rising COVID-19 cases and weaker-than-expected manufacturingdata in top consumer China raised concerns over demand weakness. COVID restrictions are affecting factories in numerousChinese cities and the yuan fell to its weakest since 2007,making dollar-priced metals costlier for local buyers. Benchmark coppe...Read More
RAPAPORT... Diamcor Mining saw profit rebound during the second fiscal quarter as the company sold a greater number of larger, higher-value rough diamonds.The company posted earnings of $1 million in the three months ending September 30, compared to a loss of $918,953 in the previous quarter, it said last week. The miner operates the Krone-Endora at Venetia deposit in South Africa.Revenue for the...Read More
RAPAPORT... Sales at Lucapa Diamond Company rose sharply in the third quarter, reflecting solid production even as market conditions worsened.Rough-diamond revenues jumped 42% year on year to $25.5 million for the period, the company said Monday in an email to Rapaport News. Sales from the Lulo mine in Angola rose 56% to $20.6 million, while proceeds from Mothae in Lesotho increased 4% to $4....Read More
RAPAPORT... Pandora has reported a blaze at a distribution center in Hamburg, Germany, noting that the company would use its other locations to serve the European markets should the incident affect supply. The fire, which began yesterday, is under control but has not yet been fully extinguished, Pandora said Sunday. Because the situation is ongoing, the Danish jeweler has not been able to determin...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers' 2022 Diamond Insight Report focused on the importance of brands - no coincidence given the miner's own emphasis on its consumer-facing labels in the past couple of years. Jewelry from a trusted name commands a significant premium, and this trend goes hand in hand with an increased interest in the corporate values behind products, the company explained.Last Thursday, Rapa...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Mountain Province has reported the highest quarterly revenue - CAN $111m / USD $81m - since it was founded in 1986.The Canadian miner, which jointly operates the Gahcho Kue mine with De Beers Canada, said the Q3 figure was up nine per cent on Q2 2022."Improving production performance, coupled with our very strong financial performance during the quarter places the company in a stro...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A Graff ring set with a 41.36-carat Type IIa diamond is to be sold by Christie's Geneva with a high estimate of $5m.The square emerald-cut gem is described as "D colour, VVS1 clarity, potentially Internally Flawless, excellent polish and symmetry."It is set in a platinum ring together with tapered baguette-cut diamonds, signed by the London-based jeweler Graff.The ring will be...Read More