RAPAPORT... De Beers will launch its Forevermark diamond brand in New Zealand in partnership with local retailer Partridge Jewellers.Forevermark's high-end Black Label collection will be available at three Partridge stores in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, De Beers said Wednesday. Forevermark will also run an advertising campaign alongside the launch, which will include print, digital and...Read More

Stainless steel scrap prices in the United States diverged this week, with the 300-series grades inching higher - supported by rising nickel prices - while the 400-series grades lost ground."I would call this market stable. Supply and demand appear to be in balance, and the London Metal Exchange is supporting pricing for the 300 stainless grades despite the mills operating at less than stellar cap...Read More

RAPAPORT... Tiffany & Co. has retained a spot on the National Retail Federation's (NRF) list of the fastest-growing US retailers.The New York-based company came in at number 95, the only jewelry specialist to make the cut this year, slipping from 68th in 2019. Grocery chain Lidl nabbed the first position, with Wayfair, Build.com, Don Quijote and Amazon rounding out the top five.The NRF publish...Read More

RAPAPORT... Titan Company, India's largest jewelry retailer, recorded heavy losses in the first fiscal quarter as the coronavirus forced it to close stores for most of the period.The company reported a net loss of INR 2.97 billion ($39.7 million) for the three months ending June 30, compared to a profit of INR 3.64 ($48.6 million) during the same period a year ago. Revenue plunged 61% to INR 20.2...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is launching a new digital report for lab-grown diamonds that will feature specific color and clarity grades. The organization, which currently only offers loose descriptions and grade ranges for synthetics, will introduce the new reports early in the fourth quarter, it said Tuesday.The service will incorporate the GIA's two existing lab-...Read More

The publication of Fastmarkets' UK aluminium scrap price assessments for August 12 will be delayed because of a technical issue. Fastmarkets' pricing database, MInD, will be updated later in the day at around 10:45pm London time to reflect the price changes for the following prices: MB-AL-0011 Aluminium scrap commercial pure cuttings, delivered consumer UK, ?/tonne August 5 price: ?750-800...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Fewer than a third of Surat's diamond factories have returned to work despite Unlock 3.0, an easing of restrictions by authorities in India. Owners have to cover the costs of mandatory COVID-19 rapid antigen tests for all workers and say they simply can't afford it. In addition, many artisans have returned to their rural villages in Saurashtra, and are afraid to return be...Read More

Tin premiums around the world were unchanged over the past fortnight, with a downtrend in LME futures prices failing to kickstart purchases from consumers, Fastmarkets heard. European and Shanghai tin premiums flat LME price drops to $17,660 per tonne from one-year highs in July Spread tightness eases in the tin cash/three-month chart Stagnant demand leaves European tin premiums steady In Europe...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Botswana, the world's top diamond-producing country by value, saw Q2 sales fall by almost two-thirds because of coronavirus.   Pandemic-related travel bans and reduced outputs resulted in sales of just $294m, down 64 per cent from $807m for the same period in 2019, according to Bank of Botswana data.   First quarter sales for 2020, before the full impact of the pande...Read More

Premiums for grade A copper cathodes in Asia declined in the week ended Tuesday August 11, with buying activity diminished against reduced demand, and a closed import arbitrage window similarly hampering business, while seasonal maintenance closures across Europe kept premiums steady.Asian market participants expect weaker demand Business still hand-to-mouth across Taiwan, Vietnam European sellers...Read More

Digital platform revolutionizes traditional jeweler business practices NEENAH, Wis. (August 11, 2020) - Jewelers Mutual Group launched the ZingTM platform, created to drive the jewelry industry into the future. The Zing platform empowers jewelers, manufacturers, wholesalers, and others to conduct business digitally. It simplifies pro...Read More

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States continued to hover around $23 per hundredweight ($460 per short ton) this week, while demand outlook remained unclear, according to sourcesFastmarkets' daily hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $22.96 per cwt ($459.20 per ton) on Wednesday August 12, down 0.5% from $23.08 per cwt on Tuesday August 11, but up 0.2% from $22.91 per...Read More

Consumption of steel end-products by Turkey increased by 8.7% year-on-year in January-June 2020, while crude steel production decreased by 16.3% compared with the first six months of 2019, the Turkish Steel Producers' Association (TCUD) said on Tuesday August 11.The TCUD believed that the decline in production was a consequence of exports decreasing as a result of quota regimes in external markets...Read More

A summary of the financial results for Egypt's biggest steelmaking group, Ezz Steel, for the period from January 1 to March 31, 2020.In briefEarnings were down because "the negative effect of Covid-19 damped the positive volume trend [seen by Ezz Steel] at the beginning of the first quarter of 2020... Export quantities suffered the most," according to Paul Chekaiban, chairman and managing director...Read More

Prices for domestic cold-rolled in Europe were largely unchanged in the week to Wednesday August 12 due to the seasonal summer slowdown, although sources believe some mills will push offers up, Fastmarkets heard.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessmentfor steel cold-rolled coil, domestic, exw Northern Europe was ?,?500-510 ($588-600) per tonne on August 12, compared with ?,?490-510 per tonne a week ea...Read More

The price of steel H-beams in Europe was unchanged this week amid quiet summer market activity, but market participants said they expect increases in the coming weeks because of rising raw material costs and improving demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday August 12. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?530-560 ($623-658) per...Read More

The Iranian export billet and slab market was under pressure from lower export demand, particularly in Asia, as well as domestic demand in the week ended Wednesday August 12, sources said.Demand in the Asian region, which has been largely limited to China in recent months, decreased also due to the weakening futures market.The most-traded October rebar futures contract closed at 3,805 yuan per ton...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesConsolidated copper production for the June quarter was down 27% from the previous quarter to 18,026 tonnes, reflecting Constancia's suspension to mid-May.Hudbay put Peru production guidance at 65,000-75,000t of copper and 25,000-35,000 ounces of precious metals, down from its earlier forecast of 80,000-95,000t and 45,000-55,000oz...Read More

Increased choppiness in the base metals in recent days suggests the bullish and bearish camps are getting more balanced and a new fight for supremacy is unfolding.This morning, Wednesday August 12, the bears have the upper hand, with base metals prices down on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange - both complexes were down by an average of 1.4% as at 6.20am London timeWider mark...Read More

Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices remain relatively flat on Wednesday August 12 amid a quiet seaborne spot market until one transaction was heard later in the evening, Fastmarkets heard.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $104.42 per tonne, down $0.09 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $115.86 per tonne, up $0.02 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $87.15 p...Read More