The Criminal Investigative Service (SIC) in Angola seized 710 diamonds of different carats on Sunday in Lucapa, a municipality in the northeastern Lunda-Norte province of Angola.
According to Graciano Lumanhe, the SIC spokesperson in Lunda-Norte, three individuals from Guinea Conakry were found in possession of the diamonds.
Angola Seizes 710 Diamond Stones From Three Guineans In addition to the diamonds, the officers also discovered a diamond weighing scale, two calculating machines, magnifying glasses, a sieve, and $860 and 68,000 kwanzas in cash during the operation.
All the evidence has been submitted to the Office of the Public Prosecutor as part of the preparations for criminal proceedings against the three suspects.
Rio Tinto launched on Wednesday its 2024 Beyond Rare tender, the second in its Art Series, showcasing 48 lots of extraordinarily rare stones from its diamonds business.
Titled Colour Awakened, this collection is headlined by seven “Old Masters”, notable historic diamonds from the Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia that operated from 1983 to 2020.
The Old Masters comprise seven round brilliant cut, pink and red diamonds, ranging in size from 0.60 carat to 2.63 carats. All unearthed from the mine over a decade ago in one case, as far back as 1987 each diamond has been carefully retrieved from private vaults and handpicked for inclusion in this year’s tender.
“No other mining company in the world has custody of such a kaleidoscope of coloured diamonds,” Sinead Kaufman, chief executive of Rio Tinto Minerals said in the statement.
In addition to the Old Masters, the Art Series 02 includes legacy inventory of pink, red and violet diamonds from the Argyle diamond mine, together with white and yellow diamonds from Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
“Four years on from the closure of the Argyle mine, our Beyond Rare Tender platform is a testimony to the enduring prestige of the Argyle Pink Diamonds brand, the quality of production from our Diavik mine, and the ongoing demand for highly collectible natural diamonds,” Kaufman said.
In total there are 76 diamonds, weighing 39.44 carats, comprising seven Old Masters, including one Fancy Red diamond; 32 single lots of pink and violet diamonds, including one Fancy Purplish Red diamond; and a rarified offering of nine carefully curated diamond sets, two of which include a 2.47 carat Fancy Intense Yellow diamond and a 4.04 carat D colour diamond, respectively, each from Diavik.
The 48 lots will be showcased in London, Australia, Singapore and Belgium, with bids closing on November 18.
A fancy-pink diamond pendant is set to headline an upcoming jewelry auction at Sotheby’s in Paris, where it is expected to fetch up to EUR 550,000 ($612,797).
The cushion-cut, 4.03-carat diamond piece will feature at the October 10 Fine Jewels sale, according to the Sotheby’s website. The auction will also offer jewels from Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Giovanni Ferraris.
Additionally, the event will showcase more than 80 pieces from the collection of British singer Dame Shirley Bassey, including diamond jewelry Elton John gifted her.
Here are the rest of top 10 jewels that will be auctioned:
This Cartier Tutti Frutti bracelet designed as a band of articulated branches —embellished with carved emeralds, rubies and emerald beads drill-set with single-cut diamonds — carries a top estimate of EUR 450,000 ($501,395). A necklace from the Shirley Bassey collection composed of a row of graduated brilliant-cut diamonds, with the main ones weighing 5.50, 5.36, and 4.61 carats, could sell for up to EUR 280,000 ($311,798). Sotheby’s will offer this gold and diamond Cartier set comprising a necklace, two bracelets, a pair of ear clips, and a ring, each paved with brilliant-cut diamonds, for a high price of EUR 260,000 ($289,687). A David Morris ring bearing a rectangular step-cut, 7.15-carat diamond of F color and internally flawless clarity, flanked by tapered baguette diamonds, is expected to bring in EUR 140,000 to EUR 250,000 ($155,990 to $278,554). This sapphire and diamond bracelet by Van Cleef & Arpels forms a stylized buckle set with a row of oval sapphires framed by brilliant-cut diamonds. It has a presale range of EUR 140,000 to EUR 240,000 ($155,990 to $267,410). This ring with a pear-shaped, fancy-brownish-yellow diamond weighing 20.03 carats could achieve as much as EUR 220,000 ($245,116). A necklace composed of openwork and oval motifs, each set with an oval sapphire within a double surrounding of brilliant-cut diamonds, has an upper price of EUR 180,000 ($200,540).A 21.17-carat, fancy-light-brown-yellow, SI2-clarity diamond ring with marquise-shaped diamond shoulders is anticipated to realize up to EUR 170,000 ($189,415). This claw-set ring with a rectangular step-cut, 5.06-carat diamond flanked by triangular diamonds carries a high estimate of EUR 150,000 ($155,990).
The pulse of the jewelry industry and its relationship with the constantly changing world is reflected each year at Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong (JGWHK).
This year the annual jewelry trade show attracted more than 3,300 exhibitors, a 5% decline from 2023, according to Informa Markets, which owns and operates the fair. Although final buyer numbers aren’t available, walking the floors on the first four days, it’s easy to see that foot traffic was down as well. Still the show is expected to attract about 50,000 visitors.
Buyers in the Fine Design Pavilion of Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong
More important than the numbers themselves is what they represent. A major typhoon in the Shanghai area a few days before the show began meant many exhibitors and buyers from the area could not immediately make the trip to Hong Kong. Obviously, war in Ukraine and in Gaza has kept people in these regions from attending. After years of exponential growth, the U.S. jewelry market has softened, partly due to the upcoming presidential election. The China market has softened as well, reflecting the country’s overall economic challenges. These are the two largest markets in the world for jewelry. Then for the first time in memory, the fair coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 18, which further reduced overall attendance, at least temporarily.
For a fair that has been held during trade wars, citywide political protests and a once-in-a-century typhoon, these distractions were mild by comparison. Through it all JGWHK remains, by far, the largest jewelry trade fair in the world, and for good reason.
Petra Diamonds reported increased sales for FY 2024, despite weak market conditions.
The UK based miner said it had saved $75m by deferring capital expansion programs and sustainably reducing its cost base.
Revenue for the year was $367m, an increase of 13 per cent on FY 2023, according to its Audited Full Year 2024 Results, published on Tuesday (24 September).
“Petra demonstrated its agility in responding to a weaker pricing environment by building greater business resilience,” said CEO Richard Duffy.
“We acknowledge the difficult market conditions through FY 2024 and believe that prices will stabilise through to the end of CY 2024 with some improvement expected in CY 2025.”
Petra sold 3.2m carats of rough during the year an increase of 36 per cent but achieved lower average prices per carat, down 17 per cent to $116, attributable to a 12.4 per cent decline in like for like prices, as well as product mix movements.
Last month Petra today Petra canceled its August/September tender to restrict supply amid ongoing weak demand.
Goods from its Cullinan and Finsch mines, in South Africa, will be sold instead at its next tender, which is expected to close in mid-October.
India’s exports of polished diamonds fell by 23.8 per cent year-on-year in August, according to the latest figures from the GJEPC (Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council).
Total foreign sales were $1.04bn, compared to $1.36bn last August. Exports in July were $908m, down 22.7 per cent.
Polished diamond exports have fallen every month this year, down 20 per cent in January, 28 per cent in February, 27 per cent in March, 17 per cent in April, 15 per cent in May and 26 per cent in June. All figures are for US dollars.
Gross exports of all gems and jewelry fell by 18.8 per cent during August – a slower rate of decline than diamonds – to $2.01bn.
Rough imports for the April to August period were down 22.6 per cent to $4.98bn.
Rio Tinto is offering early termination for employees at its Diavik diamond mine as part of the company’s efforts to save costs ahead of the mine’s closure in 2026, the Australian miner told jewelry news agency Rapaport.
Located in Canada’s Northwest Territories, about 200 km south of the Arctic Circle, Diavik has become an integral part of the NWT economy, employing over 1,000 people and producing an average of 6-7 million carats of gem-quality diamonds annually.
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Since entering production in 2003, the mine has outputted roughly 90 million carats of rough diamonds, making it one of the largest in Canada.
The offer of early termination to Diavik employees, says Rio Tinto, is a response to the challenges currently facing the diamond industry as the mine approaches the end of its life cycle.
“I can confirm that Diavik is looking at voluntary separation as part of our efforts to manage costs and rightsize our business given the relatively short runway to Diavik’s planned closure,” Matthew Breen, chief operating officer at Diavik, told Rapaport.
While the diamond mine is slated to close in the first quarter of 2026, Rio previously indicated that some workers will remain at the mine site until 2029 to support the closure and reclamation process.
Elsewhere in NWT, De Beers’ Gahcho Kué mine, about 280 km away from Yellowknife, is expected to follow Diavik and close around 2030.
A report earlier this year shared by research firm Impact Economics estimates that these NWT diamond mine closures could result in 1,500 jobs being lost and about 1,100 residents leaving the territory.
Africa focused miner Gem Diamonds has found yet another big precious stone at its prolific Letšeng mine in Lesotho, the third greater than 100 carat diamond mined in September.
The 212.91 carat Type II white diamond was recovered on September 19th, the company said on Monday. It is the thirteenth diamond over 100-carat unearthed this year at the operation, it noted.
Type IIa diamonds are the most valued and collectable precious gemstones, as they contain either very little or no nitrogen atoms in their crystal structure.
The Letšeng mine, owned 70% by Gem Diamonds, is one of the world’s ten largest diamond operations by revenue. At 3,100 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level, it is also one of the world’s most elevated diamond mines.
The operation has a track record of producing large, exceptional white diamonds, which makes it the highest-dollar-per-carat kimberlite diamond mine in the world.
Since ancient times, jewelled collars, saddles and bridles have ensured that animal companions were as finely jewelled as their owners. Animal bling seems to have been particularly popular from the mid-19th century. Vogue’s 1896 article “Swagger Dogs” told its readers that “Dog jewelry forms an interesting exhibit, is marvelously fine and valuable, if absurdly extravagant”. These dogs sported jewelled collars, leg bracelets and bangles galore.
Lord Berners, the model for Nancy Mitford’s Lord Merlin in The Pursuit of Love, was well known for decorating his pet dalmatians with diamond necklaces, while the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning made a collar for her dog Flush from a mosaic bead necklace. When Frances Work (Mrs Aurel Batonyi), the great-grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, visited the casino with her dog, she matched her jewels with its own diamond collar. The Daily Express of 1903 even recommended “diamond studded dog-collars with receptacles for scent” for smartly dressed dogs. According to early 20th-century newspapers, some dogs even wore bracelets around their paws and gem-set earrings. One of the gifts given to Jenny and Rosie Dolly, the fabulously glamorous cabaret dancers of the 1930s, was a pair of tortoises. These came from the besotted retail magnate Harry Selfridge, their shells set by Cartier with 4-carat blue diamonds.
The Dolly Sisters in the 1920s
The modern dog with a generous budget could choose from the famously expensive Amour Amour collars, the top-of-the-range set with 52 carats of diamonds, to elegant options from Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Christian Louboutin (with signature red lining). Sadly cats haven’t attracted the same attention from jewellers, although they might not have the same patience for dressing up as their dog counterparts.
The size M Loubicollar dog collar from Christian Louboutin
Animal lives are shorter than human ones and bereaved owners often wanted a record of their animal companions, often through paintings and photographs but also via memorial jewellery set with their images and sometimes even hair.
The brooch with a portrait of Nero made for Jane Carlyle
Jane Carlyle’s little dog Nero was a great comfort to her through the ups and downs of her marriage to the author Thomas Carlyle. Nero, painted as “large as a sheep” to Jane’s dismay, can be seen lying comfortably on the sofa in Robert Tait’s painting of the Carlyles at home. When Nero died in February 1860, Jane turned to the painter to help her create a memorial. Writing to Tait, she asked him to send her a photograph of the detail of Nero from the painting to make into a brooch.
Queen Victoria’s collie Gipsy, painted by Friedrich Wilhelm Keyl
Jane Carlyle wasn’t the only bereaved owner to want a lasting memory of her pet. Queen Victoria extended her appetite for sentimental jewellery to her animals. As well as a photograph album recording all the dogs in the Windsor kennels, one of her favourite dogs was immortalised in a jewel. In 1863 the Prince of Wales ordered a crystal brooch with the image of the Queen’s recently deceased collie Gipsy from the royal jewellers, Garrards. Some years later, as Edward VII, he kept strands of his favourite terrier Jack’s hair in a locket on his desk.
Amour Amour is the world’s most expensive dog collar with the price tag of $3.2 million
And although in general cats have not been lucky enough to be gifted jewels during their seven lifetimes, they have also been turned into a glittery accessory.
Mary Russell, Duchess of Bedford, was well known for her passion for Siamese cats. According to Boudoir Magazine in 1904, she wore a locket holding the portrait of Goblin, her favourite cat. Goblin’s thoughts on the matter are not recorded.
Gemfields suffered a slump in sales and prices at its latest auction of rough emeralds from its Kagem mine, in Zambia.
The UK-based company blamed conflicts, elections, and economic uncertainty in China, compounded by a diary clash with an emerald competitor, reportedly selling at low prices.
Gemfields sold only 61 per cent of the almost 4m carats on offer in a series of auctions ending 13 September in Jaipur, India, and online. At the last four sales it sold well over 90 per cent.
Total sales were $10.8m, down 67 per cent on its September 2023 sales. The average price per carat was $4.47, down by a half on the same event last year.
Gemfields says the mix and quality of lots varies, so the results of each auction are not always directly comparable.
Today’s overall result is weaker than expected,” said Adrian Banks, Gemfields’ managing director of product and sales, “exacerbated in part by a competing emerald producer scheduling their own auction to finish in early September 2024, in the middle of ours, and selling through their emeralds at what customers reported as low prices.”
He said the company was committed to acting responsibly – as it did at this auction – by withholding auction lots when fair market prices were not achieved.
