RAPAPORT... Macy's sales increased in the fourth fiscal quarter, drivenby a solid performance in several divisions, including fine jewelry, thecompany said last week. Sales rose 1.8% year on year to $8.67 billion for the periodending February 3, while comparable-store sales - from branches open for atleast a year, including licensed stores - grew 1.4%. Total sales fell 3.7% to$24.84 billion for th...Read More
RAPAPORT... Easyfairs has partnered with the Federation of BelgianDiamond Bourses (FBDB) and the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) to presentthe upcoming Carat+ show. "This partnership allows us to associate the Antwerp diamondsector and its organizations to an already successful Carat+ trade-showconcept," Dirk Oosterlinck, managing director of Easyfairs, the event's organizer, said Sunday...Read More
RAPAPORT... Sotheby's has named two senior managers for its Asian jewelry division: Lisa Chow as deputy chairman, and Jessica Wyndham as department head. Chow (pictured), who has been with the company since 1990, will also maintain her current position as general manager and sales director forSotheby's Diamonds. In her new job, she will be responsible for providingstrategic guidance and building c...Read More
TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Global mining exploration budgets are expected to swell about 20% this year, bolstered by the generally positive trend in metals prices extending into early 2018, a new report by S&P's Global Market Intelligence has found.Global spending on the search for nonferrous metals rose 15% year-on-year in 2017 to an estimated $8.4-billion, compared with $7.3-bill...Read More
RAPAPORT... Easyfairs has partnered with the Federation of BelgianDiamond Bourses (FBDB) and the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) to presentthe upcoming Carat+ show. "This partnership allows us to associate the Antwerp diamondsector and its organizations to an already successful Carat+ trade-showconcept," Dirk Oosterlinck, managing director of Easyfairs, the event's organizer, said Sunday...Read More
RAPAPORT...Firestar Diamond and its affiliates, following their bankruptcy filing in the wake of fraud allegations against their ultimate owner Nirav Modi, have reportedsignificant interest from companies looking to buy their operations.The three jewelers - Firestar, A. Jaffe and Fantasy - are seeking an infusion of capital or a sale, and intendto continue business as normal in the meantime,their...Read More
RAPAPORT... J.C. Penney's comparable-store jewelry sales jumped by atleast 10% in the fourth fiscal quarter, rounding off a strong year of growth,CEO Marvin Ellison said. Jewelry sales increased by that key measure in every quarterof the fiscal year ending February 3, including by a "double-digit" percentage inthe final three months, the executive noted. Jewelry was one of a handful of department...Read More
RAPAPORT... Helzberg Diamonds has appointed Ellen Junger as chief marketingofficer, and named Carmichael Lynch as its new ad agency of record. Junger was previously chief customer and marketing officerfor Payless ShoeSource. She has also worked for Hallmark Cards, including as chief marketing officer of Hallmark Canada, according to a statement on Carmichael's website. "Ellen brings a wealth of ex...Read More
RAPAPORT...The Civil Society Coalition (CSC) of the Kimberley Process(KP) has appointed the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) as its leader, according to a statement on the KP website. ZELA will take over the leadership from Impact - formerly Partnership AfricaCanada -which left the Kimberley Process in December, claiming the organization wasineffective in policing the diamond supply c...Read More
RAPAPORT...Firestar Diamond and its affiliates reported significant interest from companies looking to buy their operations, after filing for bankruptcy in the wake of fraud allegations against their ultimate owner, Nirav Modi.The three jewelers - Firestar, A. Jaffe and Fantasy - are seeking an infusion of capital or a sale, and intendto continue business as normal in the meantime,their president,...Read More
RAPAPORT... Helzberg Diamonds has appointed Ellen Junger as chief marketingofficer, and named Carmichael Lynch as its new ad agency of record. Junger was previously chief customer and marketing officerfor Payless ShoeSource. She has also worked for Hallmark Cards, including as chief marketing officer of Hallmark Canada, according to a statement on Carmichael's website. "Ellen brings a wealth of ex...Read More
RAPAPORT...The Civil Society Coalition (CSC) of the Kimberley Process(KP) has appointed the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) as its leader, according to a statement on the KP website. ZELA will take over the leadership from Impact - formerly Partnership AfricaCanada -which left the Kimberley Process in December, claiming the organization wasineffective in policing the diamond supply c...Read More
LUANDA (Reuters) - Angola has offered investors diamond exploration licenses that previously belonged to Isabel dos Santos, daughter of the former president, according to a video clip of a closed-door meeting with mining companies seen by Reuters.During the meeting at a mining conference in Cape Town last month, president of state diamond company Endiama, Jos?(C) Manuel Ganga J??nior, said the lic...Read More
Travelling exhibition specialist MTE celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary this year, and the company – founded by Tony Wightman in 1993 – owes its success to its deep engagement with the mining industry, enabling MTE to establish long-standing relationships with mines and exhibitors. At the time of its founding, Wightman identified a need for a broader scope of engagement between mi...Read More
Africa-focused Stellar Diamonds (LON:STEL) said Wednesday it had finalized its tribute agreement and revenue share with junior Octea Mining for the Tongo-Tonguma diamond project in eastern Sierra Leone.The deal, which allows for mining the combined and contiguous Tongo and Tonguma concessions, is expected to create one of the largest diamond mines in West Africa."The closure of the agreements with...Read More
Positivesentiment after Chinese New Year. Hong Kong show starts off slow, with Chinesebuyers still on vacation. Steady dealer demand and firm prices for 0.30 to 1ct., G-J, VS-SI, RapSpec A2+ diamonds. Indian consumers and banks cautious asfallout from alleged $1.8B Nirav Modi-Gitanjali fraud widens, with new reports ofunpaid $810M Gitanjali loan. A.Jaffe, Firestar Diamond and Fantasy file forbankr...Read More
(IDEX Online News) - There was a clear downward trend in price changes in many categories of round diamonds in February, particularly in categories from 0.30-0.39 to 0.80-0.89 carats and 2.00-3.99 carats. However, there were rising prices in the smallest stones of 0.18 to 0.29 carats, and in 1.50-1.99 carat diamonds. Fancy diamonds saw relatively few price changes in the smallest ca...Read More
By: John Bristow and Dan MoagiSouth Africa’s minerals and mining industry faces severe headwinds. The Republic of South Africa hosts a treasure trove of geology and minerals, valued at about $2.5-trillion. Without modern exploration, prospecting and new local and foreign investment, these resources will not be developed for the benefit of the country and its people.AdvertisementChallenges fa...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Registration has opened for participation in the first-ever edition of the Bharat Diamond Week at the Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) in Mumbai, India. The BDB expects thousands of visitors from India and abroad to take part in the April 23-25 international diamond week. The BDB said that 200 Indian companies will be exhibiting polished diamonds to buyers from across the world....Read More
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed BlueRock Diamonds expects to treat in excess of 275 000 t of material this year, compared with the 153 147 t treated in 2017.The company, which operates the Kareevlei mine, in South Africa’s Kimberley region, on Thursday also noted that it expects to achieve an average grade of 3.5 carats per hundred tons (cpht) to 4.5 cpht for this year, in...Read More