(IDEX Online) - Alrosa has announced that for December 2019, it sold $363.8 million worth of rough and polished diamonds (+11% year-over-year). Rough diamond sales by value amounted to $352.1 million, with polished diamond sales totaling $11.6 million.The company's total rough and polished diamond sales for 2019 amounted to $3.338 billion. During the year, Alrosa's total rough diamonds s...Read More
RAPAPORT... US diamond shipments fell in November, according to government data. Polished imports declined19% as lower volumes outweighed an increase in the average price. US Trade Data for November 2019Read More
RAPAPORT... Sales at Chow Tai Fook's mainland China stores grew in the third quarter amid a significant expansion of the jeweler's network in the country. Total retail sales climbed 17% year on year in China for the three months ending December 31, while same-store sales - at locations open for more than a year - rose 2%. Chow Tai Fook added a net 279 points of sale in the country d...Read More
RAPAPORT... Alrosa's sales increased 11% year on year to $363.8 million in December as demand in the manufacturing sector continued to rebound, the Russian miner said Monday."In December, we observed signs of stabilizing diamond demand that had emerged earlier in the second half of the year amid the gradual restoration of market balance," said Alrosa deputy CEO Evgeny Agureev. The month...Read More
RAPAPORT... Phillips has appointed Paul Redmayne head of private jewelry sales as part of its efforts to expand its jewelry department internationally, the auction house said Monday.Redmayne, who will be responsible for managing relationships with top jewelry collectors around the world and fostering private sales, joined Phillips from Bonhams, where he was the head of sales for jewelry. He i...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Forevermark, the diamond brand from De Beers Group, recently launched an "immersive, interactive and informative" retail experience in the Caibai jewelry department store in Beijing, China.Forevermark said the 100-square-meter boutique breaks away from the traditional across-the-counter service and instead showcases several digital experiences. These include a discovery wall, which...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Ed Bridge, chairman emeritus of Ben Bridge Jeweler, Inc, received the 2020 GEM Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 18th annual Gem Awards, which took place on Friday at Cipriani 42nd Street. Bridge received the award in honor of his dedication to Ben Bridge and the jewelry industry throughout his career. He was president of the company/co-CEO from 1990-2017 and chairman/CEO...Read More
RAPAPORT... Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) has named Alan Bell, former president of Rio Grande, as the recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award.Bell began working for Rio Grande, the jewelry-supply store his father founded, in 1971 at the age of 20, becoming the company's seventh employee. He led the business's transition from a storefront to a mail-order catalog...Read More
RAPAPORT... Jewelers of America (JA) honored retailers, designers and journalists at Friday's GEM Awards in New York.Ed Bridge, who ran the family-owned Ben Bridge Jeweler until his retirement in November 2018, picked up the Lifetime Achievement accolade in recognition of his contribution to the industry during his time at the company. Bridge, who became CEO in 1990, ran the company with his...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers has launched an immersive concept store for its Forevermark jewelry brand in China. The boutique, the first of its kind for the brand, is located in jewelry department store Caibai in Beijing, De Beers said last week. The 100-square-meter space contains interactive features, including a discovery wall, which features stories on the origin of diamonds and their positive im...Read More
RAPAPORT... The companies behind WD Lab Grown Diamonds have filed three lawsuits against competitors, accusing them of infringing patents for diamond synthesis and treatment. The Carnegie Institution of Washington, a science organization, and M7D Corporation, which trades as WD Lab Grown Diamonds, took action Thursday again six companies that produce or sell diamonds made using chemical vapor depo...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A report from CRM giant Salesforce revealed that digital spending increased 8 percent over the 2019 shopping season, with $723 billion in digital revenue worldwide. The report combined insights on the activities of hundreds of millions of global shoppers in over 30 countries using Salesforce tools. According to Salesforce data, digital traffic grew 13 percent over 2018. Many s...Read More
WILMINGTON – The Carnegie Institution of Washington, which has been doing scientific research for more than a century, filed lawsuits in New York alleging its patents for growing diamonds in a lab are being infringed by some top makers of such gem stones.The institute filed three complaints Thursday in Manhattan federal court against six companies, including Pure Grown Diamonds and IIa Techn...Read More
De Beers Group’s diamond brand, Forevermark, unveiled the first boutique in its Next Generation Retail Concept, located within jewellery department store Caibai, in Beijing, China.The newly renovated 100 m2 boutique breaks away from the traditional across-the-counter service, inviting consumers to discover the world of Forevermark through an immersive, interactive and informative experience,...Read More
Diamond trading seasonally quiet, but diamantaires in positive mood as they return from New Year break. Dealers waiting for memo sale results to assess holiday season. Concern that US economic growth will slow in 2020 election year. Optimism for mainland China during Jan. 25 lunar festival. Hong Kong retail sluggish. Manufacturers cautious about raising factory production, despite expected 1Q inve...Read More
RAPAPORT... Belgium has introduced legislation requiring managers of diamond companies to prove their good conduct and knowledge of money-laundering laws.The rules, passed in November by royal decree, are intended to control access to the sector and came after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) called for improvements.Firms wishing to trade diamonds or continue as an accredited diamond bu...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A 117-carat diamond has been recovered Lulo alluvial mine in Angola. This is the 14th 100+ carat stone found at the mine.The diamond was among the specials (+10.8 carat diamonds) recovered from Mining Block 19. This area is located between the prolific Mining Blocks 6 and 8, which have produced 12 of the +100 carat diamonds found at the mine, including the country's biggest re...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Canadian Jewellers Association (CJA) has appointed diamond-crime expert Kelly Ross managing director of loss prevention.Ross spent 23 years as an officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), specializing in crimes involving diamonds, gemstones and precious metals, the CJA said Monday. He was also the lead Canadian delegate to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ty...Read More
RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered a 117-carat, gem-quality diamond from its Lulo alluvial mine in Angola.The stone is the miner's 14th over 100 carats from Lulo to date, and its first in that size category this year, it said Thursday. Lucapa found the stone in mining block 19, located between its high-value mining block 6 and mining block 8 portions of the deposit. That area wa...Read More
RAPAPORT PRESS RELEASE, January 9, 2020, Las Vegas... Jewelry Connoisseur by Rapaport is launching a weekly newsletter to help you keep up to date with all the latest news and trends in the diamond and jewelry sector. Whether you are a diamantaire, retailer, designer or jewelry enthusiast, you'll find something that appeals to your interests among the broad range of subjects the Jewelry Connoisseu...Read More