Gold has big year in 2020 and outlook for this year robust. Learn about monetary expansion and gold future prices.Read More
The gold futures price reached US$1,767/ounce this week before retreating, which was the second time it has surpassed US$1,760 in the past two months, marking some of gold's highest levels in several years.Read More
Trade log for battery-grade lithium carbonate in China including trades, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Unless otherwise stated, all prices are per tonne on an ex-works China basis. Delivered prices are netted back. Fastmarkets prices Click here for Fastmarkets price assessment for lithium carbonate min 99.5% Li2CO3 battery grade, spot price range, ex-works China, yuan per tonne. Fastmar...Read More
Market focused on jewelry retail as Christmas approaches. Brandstargeting female self-purchasers and enhancing omni-channel platforms to drivegrowth. Diamond market stable. November 1 ct. RAPI +0.6%, supported by USholiday demand and preparations for Chinese New Year. Rough trading cautious asmanufacturing profit is tight and inventory high, despite seasonal demand.Signet Jewelers 3Q sales +3% to...Read More
RAPAPORT... Production of lab-grown polished diamonds could grow to 17 million carats annually, taking a significant chunk of the market for small stones, according to Bain & Company. The synthetics industry currently has the capacity to produce about 2 million carats of gem-quality, lab-grown polished per year, the majority of which is under 0.18 carats, Bain estimated in its 2018 Global...Read More
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa is under growing pressure one year after taking office following the removal of long-time leader Robert Mugabe. That pressure may be about to increase if his handling of the diamond industry doesn't reflect his alleged commitment to economic reform and anti-corruption.That's the main message of a report released Thursday by campaign group and accountability...Read More
Demand for flat steel in Turkey is expected to remain slow throughout December, and export demand was not strong because of seasonal reasons, but prices are not expected to fall because they did so in November, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday December 6.Local producers have filled their order books until late January, they said.The price falls in November resulted in part from wea...Read More
Market improving, with noted presence of Chineseand Israeli dealers looking for goods. SI3-I1 clarities moving better. Buyerspushing for higher discounts and prepared to wait for the right price.Manufacturers operating at reduced capacity, and rough trading restrained aheadof De Beers sight. Local jewelry market stable during ongoing wedding season. RoundRead More
(IDEX Online) - A ring made by Bulgari and set with fancy vivid blue diamond weighing 8.08 carats was sold for $18,312,500 at Christie's New York Magnificent Jewels auction. The auction generated sales of $69,225,750, with 95% of items sold by value and 83% by lot. Christie's said the blue diamond was among the finest such stones ever to have come to market. Sale highlights also incl...Read More
RAPAPORT... Signet Jewelers' shares slumped 14% in early trading Thursday after the retailer reported a deeper loss, even as sales grew.The retailer's net loss intensified to $38.1 million from $12.1 million a year ago due to higher expenses and the absence of interest income from its prime credit program, which it sold for $960 million in October 2017. Same-store sales rose 1.6% in the third...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Zimbabwe is to allow two additional private firms to explore and mine for diamonds, according to Mines Minister Winston Chitando. He did not name the new companies. There are currently two firms operating in the sector. Chitando said the government's new diamond policy would allow for two more private companies to explore and mine diamonds, and that a...Read More
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The objectives of innovating and generating cash are not mutually incompatible and can be achieved at multiple levels simultaneously, says Dassault Systèmes Geovia Brand CEO Raoul Jacquand, who was in Johannesburg to showcase the French company’s suite of advanced three-dimensional (3D) software.Ahead of the company’s National Resources F...Read More
RAPAPORT... In the era of fake news and synthetic diamonds, it was a matter of time before the two would meet. They did so recently in the form of editorials in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and on the Russia Today (RT) TV channel, which took some cheap shots at the diamond trade. The ill-informed pieces highlight some still-prevalent misconceptions about the industry's ethical practices. Th...Read More
Comex copper prices sank to a multi-week low in the US morning on Thursday December 6 with the recent equity market downturn suppressing the entire base metals group. The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange tumbled 4.30 cents to $2.7310 per lb. Earlier, the contract touched an intraday low of $2.7130, the weakest point since November 14. US e...Read More
RAPAPORT... A ring made entirely from lab-grown diamond sold for$256,250 at Sotheby's on Wednesday, beating its presale estimate. The ring doesn't exist yet and doesn't have a fixed caratweight, as Diamond Foundry, its manufacturer, will craft the piece to fit thewearer. It will contain no metal and is the creation of Apple chief design officer SirJony Ive and industrial designer Mark Newson....Read More
(IDEX Online) - 'Conservation', the first video in the Diamond Empowerment Fund (D.E.F)'s new Real Stories, Real Diamonds, Real Impact campaign targeting Millennials, has garnered 11 million impressions in the first month alone, the organization said. The one-minute video, which appears on both the Diamonds Do Good website and on YouTube, garnered 7 million views of at least 30 seconds, an...Read More
RAPAPORT... A 24.31-carat diamond ring fetched $2.4 million at a Bonhams auction in London onWednesday. The step-cut, D-color, internally flawless piece sold for$98,194 per carat, beating its presale estimate of $1.7 million to $2.3million, the UK company said. "This magnificent gem was greatly admired during our previewsin London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong," said Emily Barber, UK...Read More
RAPAPORT... A Bulgari diamond ring surpassed its estimate at Christie's inNew York on Wednesday, bringing in more than $18 million. The cushion-cut, 8.08-carat, fancy-vivid-blue piece was the event'stop seller at $18.3 million, beating its presale estimate of $13 million to $18million. It completes a mixed week for colored-diamond sales after a 10.62-carat,fancy-vivid-blue diamond - estimated...Read More
The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Thursday December 6.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were lower across the board during morning trading, with downward pressure across the complex stimulated by broad strength in the dollar index, which continues to trade in positive territory after last week's G20 summit.The three-month nickel price ha...Read More
RAPAPORT... Signet Jewelers has repaired a configuration bug on theorder pages of subsidiaries Kay and Jared that accidentally exposed the personalinformation of customers who purchased online. A Jared customer contacted Signet last month after noting hecould see other buyers' order information by slightly modifying the link in hisown confirmation email. The accessible data included names, billing...Read More
RAPAPORT... E-commerce giant eBay will expand its luxury-goods authenticationservice to more than 45,000 jewelry products on its platform, it said. Third-party authentication experts will verify the items,which it sources from some of the site's highest-rated vendors, the retail company saidMonday. The service, eBay Authenticate, will cover items including engagementrings, wedding bands, and loose...Read More
The arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Thursday December 6*Copper -$71.14 (-491 yuan) Aluminium -$459.20 (-3,169.28 yuan) Zinc -$73.28 (-505.75 yuan) Nickel $278.16 (1919.81 yuan) *Fastmarkets calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China daily by using SHFE front-month and LME three-month...Read More