Polished trading quiet amid ongoing liquidityconcerns. Geopolitical factors fueling caution as diamantaires await national-electionresults. Fewer foreign buyers seen in Mumbai. Pockets of good demand, asdealers look for top-quality supply. Manufacturers maintaining reduced polishedproduction after summer break, while profit margins tighten during May sight. RoundRead More
RAPAPORT... The Lab Grown Diamond Council (LGDC) will create the firstsustainability certification mark for synthetic diamonds to reassureconsumers their stones have met rigorous environmental and social standards, the newly-established trade group said. "Our mission is to create increased market clarity about thebenefit of lab-grown diamonds," LGDC chairman Michael Barlerin explained Wednesd...Read More
RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company has unearthed a 126-carat,gem-quality rough from its Mothae mine in Lesotho, it said Thursday. The stone is the largest recovered from the deposit sincecommercial production began in January, and the first diamond over 100 caratsthe mine has produced. Lucapa previously found five stones weighing more than50 carats each during bulk sampling. "Lesotho is very...Read More
RAPAPORT...Synthetic diamonds are a fundamental threat to the naturaldiamond industry. They are not just a competitive product like gems, pearls, orgold jewelry. They are a replacement product. Their marketers shout out: Don't buynatural diamonds, buy synthetic diamonds because synthetic diamonds are moreethical. They are cheaper. They build up synthetic diamonds by tearing downnatural diamonds.Th...Read More
Jewelers of America (JA), the national trade association for businesses serving the fine jewelry marketplace, has announced that submissions are being accepted in four categories for the 18th Annual GEM Awards which will be held on January 10, 2020, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York. The GEM Awards contest honors the achievements of individuals and companies whose creations raise the visibility...Read More
Debswana Diamond Company (Debswana) has awarded a local contract to Majwe Mining, a joint venture (JV) between Bothakga Burrow Botswana and mining services provider Thiess Botswana, to provide mining services to Debswana’s Cut-9 project at the Jwaneng mine. The value of the contract is $1.2-billion and will span over nine years. The contract includes drill and on-bench services, mining plann...Read More
DiaCam360 has initiated a new venture that will lead to the automated identification of a diamond's color and clarity, based on a proprietary database of hundreds of thousands of images of diamonds that were taken with the DiaCam360. All these images were analyzed by the Deep Learning & AI (Artificial Intelligence) platform developed by the AI department of Matrix, an Israel-based, global...Read More
Jewelry industry analyst Paola De Luca, of the luxury market intelligence agency The Futurist, will speak at COUTURE in Las Vegas about the effects of the digital era and globalization on culture and design directions for the jewelry sector. Recognizing that the conversation in digital society is impacting jewelry design trends, the talk will address how consumer behavior and social changes not on...Read More
Following the discovery of the second-largest diamond in Botswana since 2015, the country has received more attention, with investors wanting to invest more in mining projects in the region, says diamond exploration and project development company Botswana Diamonds MD James Campbell. He adds that Botswana Diamonds is currently active in diamond exploration in the Kalahari region of Botswana. He be...Read More
The base metals industry is an exciting prospect for Botswana,as copper mining is increasing, which bodes well for the country’s economy, says Botswana Chamber of Mines (BCM) CEO Charles Siwawa. Although copper- and nickel-producing mines have temporarily closed down, companies such as Khoemacau Copper Mining will start operations in base metals mining in 2020 or in the first quarter of 2021...Read More
There should be a new regulatory regime for juniors – one that adheres to the spirit of Mining Charter III, but which introduces reasonable and achievable transformation and procurement targets relative to the size and financial constraints of junior and emerging miners, says Eversheds Sutherland mining head Warren Beech.This proposition is echoed by South African Diamond Producers Organisat...Read More
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Africa-focused diamond miner Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered a 126 ct gem-quality diamond from its Mothae operation, in Lesotho.The diamond is the largest recovered at Mothae since commercial operations started in January this year, and the largest gem-quality diamond ever recovered at the mine.AdvertisementThe diamond was also the sixth stone of more than 50...Read More
Sandvik Additive Manufacturing has created the first ever 3D printed diamond composite. The stones lack sparkle, but are perfect for a wide range of industrial uses, says the company. The advantage is that the diamond can be 3D printed in very complex shapes, unlike mined or manufactured diamonds.Sandvik says the difference between its diamond and natural or synthetic diamonds is that its process...Read More
When Signet jewelers' (NYSE: SIG) e-commerce subsidiary James Allen began offering man-made diamonds in May, the company added an additional search tab to the site: "Earth-created diamonds" or "Lab-created Diamonds." Up until this point, websites offering both products typically defaulted to natural diamonds or simply "diamonds" providing a further filter required to search for the man-made variet...Read More
RAPAPORT... Macy's and J.C. Penney noted strong sales in their jewelrydivisions in the first fiscal quarter, even as overall results showed a downward trend. "Our fine-jewelry business continues to deliver strong salesresults," J.C. Penney chief financial officer Bill Wafford said on an analystcall transcribed by SeekingAlpha. "We saw particular strength in categories such as modern bride, go...Read More
RAPAPORT... Gemfields' May emerald sale fetched $22.4 million, as the miner noted an improvement in the market. The Singapore sale's top lot, purchased by Chatree Gems ofThailand, set a price-per-carat record for Zambian rough emeralds at aGemfields auction. The lot comprises two gems weighing a combined 65 carats, which werenamed Green and Ice in honor of the 1981 movie, Green Ice, starring...Read More
RAPAPORT... The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and the ColouredGemstones Working Group (CGWG) will collaborate to help companies in theindustry implement responsible sourcing for gemstones such as rubies, emeraldsand sapphires.The groups will develop management tools and resources thatcolored-gemstone businesses can download free of charge, to support them in conductingdue diligence of...Read More
RAPAPORT PRESS RELEASE, May 22, 2019, Las Vegas ... RapNet, the world'slargest diamond trading network with daily listings of over $7.4 billion, willbe voting on whether it should provide diamond listing and pricing services forsynthetic diamonds. Voting will be limited to registered RapNet members wholog in to RapNet.com and will take place from Sunday May 26 through Friday May31, 2019.The result...Read More
Marty Hurwitz of MVI Marketing launched a video with three couples talking about engagement and bridal rings shopping. Here is what he sought to clarify: One year after De Beers launched its Lightbox collection at JCK and moments after Signet has put its toe in the water with its new LGD jewelry line through JamesAllen.com, what is this doing to consumer demand for lab-grown diamonds???,?"espec...Read More
The Lab Grown Diamond Council (LGDC) has retained an internationally recognized third-party certifier and standards developer, SCS Global Services (SCS), to create the first sustainability standard in the diamond and jewelry market. Certification to this premier standard will involve a comprehensive assessment of the lab grown diamond production process, compliance auditing, diamond testing, and...Read More