Healthy Demand at First Liqhobong Diamond Sale

Antwerp: Firestone Diamonds reported strong demand for higher-quality diamonds at its debut sale of rough from the Liqhobong mine in Lesotho. However, weaker market conditions dented prices for smaller stones.

IDWI 2017 Opens with Festive Ceremony to Packed IDE Trading Hall

Ramat Gan: The Sixth International Diamond Week in Israel (IDWI) opened today to a packed trading hall at the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE), with the participation of some 400 buyers from 30 countries, and over 200 diamond companies exhibiting from Israel and abroad. The festive opening ceremony included speeches by Israel Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin, Alrosa President Andrey Zharkov, IDE President Yoram Dvash, Israel Diamond Institute Chairman Shmuel Schnitzer, Diamond Dealers Club Reuven Kaufman and other diamond leaders.

CIBJO’s Blue Books Available on its Website

Milan: The six CIBJO Blue Books are definitive sets of grading standards and nomenclature for diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, coral, precious metals, and gemmological laboratories. They are compiled and then are consistently reviewed and updated by the relevant CIBJO Commissions, whose members include representatives of trade organisations and laboratories active in the respective areas of the industry. In the almost complete absence of jewellery industry standards endorsed by the International Standards Organisation (ISO), the CIBJO Blue Books are the most widely accepted set of globally accepted standards.

CaratLane Opens 1st Store in Mumbai

Mumbai: ​CaratLane, India's leading omni-channel jeweller has opened its 1st store in Mumbai, at High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel. For a brand that’s on a mission to democratize access to jewellery, this store launch, the 15th in the country, is another step forward in expanding its retail footprint and making its jewellery more accessible.

DRC Diamond Output, Revenue Drop

Cape Town: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) produced 13.5 million carats in 2016 compared with 15.8 million carats, a year earlier.

Data presented by the country’s Centre for Expertise, Appraisal and Certificate (CEEC) at the ongoing Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, showed that last year’s output was the lowest since 2007, the year it was readmitted to the Kimberley Process.

Lucapa Discovers Second Biggest Diamond

Luanda: Lucapa Diamond Company has discovered the second biggest diamond from its Lulo project a year after finding the biggest stone at the Angolan mine.

The 227-carat gem represents the seventh 100-carat-plus diamond recovered at Lulo and second only to a 404-carat stone discovered on February 4 last year.

Zimbabwe for Out of Court Settlement with Chinese Firm

Harare: The Zimbabwean government has reached an out of court settlement with OFECC, a Chinese company that owns Anjin and Janin, which had claims in Marange, but later pushed out to pave way for the consolidation of diamond mining in the country.

Lesotho Seeks to Lift Diamond Output

Cape Town: Lesotho said it is working towards increasing its diamond production from 340 000 carats to about 1 500 000 carats by 2020.

De Grisogono Eyes U.S. Growth with New Deal

Geneva: De Grisogono, a high-end jeweler that has bought some of the world’s largest rough diamonds, has entered into a partnership for its American operations in an attempt to develop its brand in the U.S., reports Rapaport.

BoB to Finance Small Diamond Units

Mumbai: To give a leg up to micro, small and medium enterprises in the diamond industry, Bank of Baroda (BoB) is planning to launch a supply chain financing product for the industry on a pilot basis in Surat, reports BusinessLine. Cutting and polishing units, which procure roughs from large companies and supply finished products back, will be provided finance at a competitive rate of interest.