(IDEX Online) - Lucara has been forced to re-think a major expansion of its Karowe mine in Botswana after COVID-19 left it with first quarter losses of $3.2m. That compares with a profit of $7.4m for the same three months last year. The Canada-based miner has continued full production throughout the coronavirus crisis at Karowe, a mine famed for exceptional type IIA diamonds, and for having p...Read More
RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered a 171-carat, gem-quality diamond from its Lulo alluvial mine in Angola.The stone is the miner's 15th over 100 carats from Lulo to date, and the second in that size category this year, following the discovery of a 117-carat stone in January. The new find is also the fourth largest ever recovered from the site, the company said Monday. Lucapa retrieve...Read More
RAPAPORT... First place is usually something to strive for, but being the number-one target for cyberattacks that steal customer data is not a distinction retailers want. As jewelers move increasingly toward online offerings, their private information becomes less secure, while hackers become more sophisticated in their retrieval methods. The retail sector had a higher number of data breaches...Read More
RAPAPORT... US retail demand will recover slowly, with economic growth expected to bounce back in the second half of the year, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF)."Getting back to work or shopping in a pre-virus manner is difficult to predict at this time, with households likely to tiptoe back in rather than making an immediate return to the lives they experienced before," said...Read More
Aim-listed BlueRock Diamonds has advised that its expansion plans for the Kareevlei diamond mine, in the Kimberley region of South Africa, remain on hold.The mine is, however, expected to reach full operating capacity by the end of May.AdvertisementThe mine has started ramping up operations, after having restarted following a complete shutdown of mines in South Africa from the end of March to...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Young Diamantaires group is planning to become a more structured organization, with regional chapters and an online networking platform for registered members, its founder told Rapaport News. The initiative of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has expanded since it launched in 2016 as a small club that met at trade shows to discuss the sector's future. With close...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Young Diamantaires group is planning to become a more structured organization, with regional chapters and an online networking platform for registered members, its founder told Rapaport News. The initiative of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has expanded since it launched in 2016 as a small club that met at trade shows to discuss the sector's future. With close...Read More
(IDEX Online) - India's Bharat Diamond Bourse has donated $159,000 to help workers hit by COVID-19. It has also been helping to feed up to poor residents living near the Bandra Kurla Complex where it's based, in Mumbai. And it has made one-off subsistence payments of $66 each to 800 daily-wage sorters and traders and plans to make more. The $159,000 donation was made to the chief ministe...Read More
RAPAPORT... Lucara Diamond Corp. has indicated the market could improve in the second half of 2020 as lower rough supply and a recovery in Asia bode well for prices."Though our near-term outlook on diamond prices remains uncertain, global rough-diamond production curtailments, combined with early indications of polished diamond-demand recovery in Asia, provide some optimism that demand will i...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Banks in Belgium have been accused of refusing vital loans to help diamond firms survive coronavirus.The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), representing 1,600 companies, claims banks are turning down applicants who clearly qualify for a financial lifeline.The banks agreed a $55bn emergency loans policy with the Belgian government early on in the COVID-19 crisis.But AWDC spokeswom...Read More
RAPAPORT... Alrosa has shut all operations at its polishing units until further notice, as it waits for demand and health conditions to improve.The closure affects the miner's three manufacturing centers: its original two in Moscow and Barnaul, and the Kristall cutting division in Smolensk, which it purchased from the Russian government last year for $29 million. It does not plan to reopen th...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Baselworld boss Michel Loris-Melikoff says it's too early to talk about a return in 2022, after the 2020 show was postponed and the replacement 2021 show was then canceled.He also said coronavirus had accelerated a major re-think that was already under way on the format of the premier watch and jewelry event, held annually in Switzerland. In an exclusive interview with Au...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers has launched an e-commerce site that enables customers to buy the rough diamonds they want, when they want them, creating an opportunity for sales during the weak market.An initiative of De Beers' auctions unit, the new Buy platform gives registered buyers an extra way of purchasing rough in addition to the company's existing limited-time auctions, the miner said Thursday...Read More
RAPAPORT... Lucara Diamond Corp. has indicated the market could improve in the second half as lower rough supply and a recovery in Asia bode well for prices."Though our near-term outlook on diamond prices remains uncertain, global rough-diamond production curtailments, combined with early indications of polished diamond-demand recovery in Asia, provide some optimism that demand will improve i...Read More
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds, the diamond mining company’s education and training entity, is providing free access to its Diamond Foundation Course.The decision was taken to offer support and “play a small part” in helping those who are working from home or are in self-isolation to “stay connected to their industry” during...Read More
TSX-listed Lucara Diamond Corporation has posted a net loss of $3.2-million, or $0.01 a share, for the quarter ended March 31.This compares with a net income of $7.4-million and earnings a share of $0.02 apiece reported for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.AdvertisementLucara explains that a decrease in total revenue had a significant impact on the quarter’s results.“The first tender f...Read More
RAPAPORT... Mountain Province reported a loss in the first quarter as the stronger US dollar led to an increase in the miner's debts.The company posted a net loss of CAD 41 million ($29.1 million), compared with a profit of CAD 2.5 million ($1.8 million) in the same period of 2019. The appreciation of the US currency against its Canadian counterpart had a negative impact of CAD 30.8 million (...Read More
Trading limited but sentiment up slightly as Antwerp prepares to reopen trading floors on May 11. Select services returning to Israel Diamond Exchange. New York still on lockdown, restricting US diamond activity. 1 ct. RAPI +0.2% in April. Manufacturers curtailing rough purchases to ease liquidity pressure and focus on depleting polished inventories. Alrosa expected to reduce 2020 production guida...Read More
RAPAPORT... Jared will offer free virtual weddings to 1,000 couples who had to cancel or postpone their events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The jeweler will begin holding the ceremonies, which are part of its #LoveCantWait campaign, at the end of May, it said Monday. The Signet Jewelers-owned banner will allow the couples to design a customized wedding, including selecting their own date, the...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Organizers have axed the iconic Baselworld watch and jewelry show for 2021 after an exodus of big-name exhibitors and the launch of a rival event.Its future had been in doubt since its canceled its April 2020 event because of COVID-19. Many exhibitors were angered by its refund policy of what was once one of the watch industry's top showcases, and by the January 2021 date...Read More