RAPAPORT... The Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) has grantedits largest-ever award, to be shared among nine beneficiaries across three continents.The $470,000 training and education grant,released early last week, is designed to support girls' education,entrepreneurship and youth empowerment across India, Africa and Canada. Projects include funding for a new science,technology, engineering and mathe...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The power is still out at Firestone Diamonds plc's Liqhobong mine in Lesotho. The company said that despite attempts to resolve the problem of power fluctuations, there is not enough power to operate the mine's processing plant. The disruption is part of two-month maintenance shutdown by the Muela Hydropower Station (MHS), which supplies the mine's power. Since...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers will partner with two major retailers topromote Lightbox, its brand of affordable lab-grown diamond jewelry. Lightbox's $800-per-carat jewelry is set to be soldin select Bloomingdale's stores, including in New York City and San Francisco, thecompany said last week. It will also be distributed through 30 stores belongingto independent retailer Reeds Jewelers, which are primaril...Read More
RAPAPORT... Six synthetic-diamond companies have signed up for apilot program aimed at creating a sustainability standard for the sector. SCS Global Services, a third-party auditing specialist,will analyze companies' environmental, social and governance records, with thegoal of devising an independent sustainability certification for lab-growndiamonds. Crystal brand Swarovski and jeweler Helzberg...Read More
The absence of new mining projects, owing to limited exploration, continues to weigh on the future sustainability of South Africa’s once thriving mining sector, which once captured a larger share of major mining budgets.“There is simply not enough investment in new mineral exploration to take advantage of the country’s geological potential,” says a Minerals Council South Af...Read More
Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.Perhaps a false sense of security had crept in. Plentiful oil supply, carefully stewarded in 2019 by OPEC+ to get the market closer to balance, and moderate prices. Rising geopolitical tension,even around Iran, seemed a nebulous...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is expanding an education program that helps artisanal gemstone miners evaluate the quality of the rough they mine. The organization is committing $1.3 million to bring the program, which started in Tanzania, to Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia. Working with Pact, a Washington D.C.-based international development nonprofit organ...Read More
Turkish rebar and wire rod export prices have continued to increase in line with the rising costs of imported scrap feedstock, although demand was still limited, sources said on Thursday October 17.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), export, fob main port Turkey, was $405-410 per tonne on Thursday, up from the $395-400 per tonne of last week.The mills in the cou...Read More
RAPAPORT... Jean-Marc Lieberherr has resigned as CEO of the DiamondProducers Association (DPA), an organization he has led since its formation in2015. Lieberherr became the DPA's first chairman in December 2015,before taking on the role of CEO in February 2016. He will be succeeded by David Kellie, amarketing executive who has worked for Watches of Switzerland and Ralph Lauren. "We are very p...Read More
RAPAPORT... Having a workforce that is more diverse not only makes goodbusiness sense, it makes good economic sense. Companies with a more inclusiveemployee base - i.e., a greater proportion of women and ethnically/culturallydiverse individuals - are more competitive in the global market, according toresearch by management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. More diversecompanies not only...Read More
Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.The time is right for the mining industry to invest in new projects. The fundamentals are clear: we forecast supply gaps across a number of key commodities by 2028.Investors are understandably concerned that the mining industry will r...Read More
ASX-listed Lucapa Diamond Company and its partners Empresa Nacional de Diamantes (Endiama) and Rosas & Petalas have earned a further A$3.9-million from the sale of diamonds recovered at the Lulo mine, in Angola.Lucapa reported on Thursday that it had sold a parcel of 1 736 ct at an average price of A$2 265/ct.AdvertisementThis brought total sales for the year to date to A$50.2-million, at an a...Read More
Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.Shockwaves from Tsingshan's new stainless steel hub in Indonesia are reverberating across South East Asia and beyond, according to Wood Mackenzie.“Competitively priced exports of Indonesian stainless product have provoked varyin...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday October 17 that are worth another look.Alcoa has launched a multi-year review of its aluminium portfolio, placing roughly half of its global smelting capacity under scrutiny for potential curtailment or closure, the company said in an earnings call with investors on Wednesday October 16.Stronger demand from the energy sector an...Read More
Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.There has been an uneasy tension around hard coking coal (HCC) prices for some time. Few would argue that US$200/t prices for seaborne HCCs were sustainable. But at the same time, the market had become accustomed to sky-high prices, k...Read More
An investment firm backed by Jiangxi Copper increased its stake in First Quantum Minerals Ltd, which is in discussions on a possible investment by the Chinese producer in its Zambian assets.The increase in shareholding was made on Wednesday October 16 via Pangaea Investment Management Ltd (PIM), which raised its stake in Canada's First Quantum to 10.827% from 9.956%. PIM has the rig...Read More
Golden Mile goes back to the futureSPONSOREDgolden mile resourcesMMG has met with officials from the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) regarding the evaluation of pre-investment studies for a concentrate pipeline, a railroad or a combination of both, according to VP corporate affairs Domingo Drago.The mine's trucking operation hasd been blockaded for several weeks at various points of...Read More
Anglo-Australian miner BHP has recorded production declines in all base metals for the third quarter of 2019, with nickel and zinc outputs down by 25% and 33% quarter-on quarter respectively while copper production slipped by only 3% in the same comparison.BHP produced just 22,000 tonnes of refined nickel in the third quarter of the year, down by 25% from the previous quarter, with the decrease at...Read More
Golden Mile goes back to the futureSPONSOREDgolden mile resourcesThe pair signed a two-year, US$2 million exploration financing agreement over the Laramide copper belt in May and completed their first quarterly technical committee meeting last month."We are encouraged by the collaboration with BHP to-date and our technical team continues to progress on new prospect generation in north-eastern Sono...Read More
Aim-listed BlueRock Diamonds achieved record production of 92 500 t in the third quarter, compared with the 63 600 t produced in the third quarter of last year.This was 45% higher year-on-year, notwithstanding the suspension of operations for 19 days in July owing to crushing circuit works.AdvertisementThe company, which owns and operates the Kareevlei diamond mine, in Kimberley, achieve...Read More