Holly Ramsay Perfect Yellow Diamond Engagement Ring from Adam Peaty

Congratulations are in order for Gordon Ramsay’s daughter, Holly, and her partner Adam Peaty.

The couple announced the news of their engagement on Thursday, Sept. 12, with an Instagram post filled with romantic couple’s photos and close-ups of Holly’s unique ring.

Peaty, a 29 year old swimmer and Olympic gold medalist, worked with Pragnell on the rock, which boasts a large yellow diamond on a gold band. On his Instagram Stories, the athlete revealed the ring took 10 months to come together.

“I trusted you with my vision and you delivered,” he wrote over a picture of Holly wearing the sparkler. “It’s perfect.”

In the carousel of snapshots, Holly wore a white bikini top and baby pink manicure, which complemented the colorful gemstone.

Proud dad Gordon, 57, shared well wishes to his 24 year old on Instagram.

“Congratulations to this gorgeous girl hollyramsayy. So happy for you and adam_peaty ! Hols, watching you become the woman you are today with your kindness and your love is absolutely infectious. Adam is a very lucky man! Welcome to the family,” he wrote.

Holly and Peaty became Instagram official on July 10, 2023, and in her engagement post on Instagram, she expressed how excited she is to wed her “best friend.”

“I truly cannot put into words how I am feeling right now. I still remember how big my smile was the morning I got home from my first date with you,” she wrote.

“Thank you for letting the little girl inside of me feel loved, seen and happier than ever. I love you & I cannot wait to be your wife.”

Source: People.com

Gem Diamonds finds 126.2 carat stone at Letšeng mine

Gem Diamonds has unearthed yet another large white diamond

Africa focused miner Gem Diamonds has unearthed yet another large white diamond at its prolific Letšeng mine in Lesotho.

The 126.21 carat Type II white diamond is the twelfth greater than 100 carat precious stone mined this year at the operation, the company said.

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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.

Source: mining.com

Russia Increases Rough Exports to India

Rough diamonds imported from Russia to India

Russian exports of rough diamonds to India increased by well over a fifth, to 4.1m carats, during the first six months of the G7 sanctions.

Total sales were up by 22.23 per cent for January to June 2024, according to the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry. But revenue fell by 15.22 per cent, as prices keep declining, from $614m to $520m.

Russian exports for June alone were 347,620 carats, an increase of almost 32 per cent on the same month last year.

The G7 and EU nations imposed sanctions on all Russian diamonds of 1.0-cts and above, regardless of where they were cut and polished, from 1 January. The threshold was lowered to 0.50-cts and above from 1 September.

Rough diamonds imported from Russia to India can only be sold to markets beyond the G7 and EU.

India’s diamond industry has been calling on the government to allow direct payments to Russia so it can more easily buy sanctioned goods.

Source: IDEX

Gem Diamonds finds 122 carat stone at Letšeng mine

122.2 carat Type II white diamond

Africa-focused miner Gem Diamonds has unearthed yet another massive white diamond at its prolific Letšeng mine in Lesotho, just days after another major find.

The 122.2 carat Type II white diamond was recovered over the weekend and is the eleventh greater than 100-carat precious stone mined this year at the operation, the company said.

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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.

Source: mining.com

Perth Mint continues luxury diamond coin series with turtle

Each Jewelled Turtle coin is a Proof 10 ounce .9999 fine gold $2,500 denominated coin

The Perth Mint continues its Jewelled series of coins with a 10 ounce gold Jewelled Turtle coin with a mintage of eight coins.

And it comes with a price tag of $269,000 Australian ($182,229 U.S.).

This is the seventh release in the Jewelled series. It features a handset rare trademarked Argyle Pink Diamond and lustrous white diamonds that form the head and limbs of the three dimensional 18 karat gold turtle.

Each Jewelled Turtle coin is a Proof 10 ounce .9999 fine gold $2,500 denominated coin, with the centerpiece the 18-karat gold sea turtle surrounded by depictions of coral and dory fish.

The turtle’s head and limbs are embellished with 52 white diamonds, and two emeralds for its eyes. Additional white diamonds are set in a ribbon shaped line symbolizing the sea surface, with an Argyle Pink Diamond set at the heart of a stylized sun.

The Jewelled Series is developed each year in association with John Glajz, a Singapore based Argyle Pink Diamonds Icon Partner.

Each Jewelled Turtle coin is presented in a luxury display case adorned with 18 karat gold furnishings and inset with two Argyle Pink Diamond.

For the first time in the series, the coin bears the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III, as well as the P125 privy mark for the Perth Mint’s 125th anniversary.

Source: Coinworld

Zimbabwe Ramps up Diamond Production

The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC)

Zimbabwe’s state-owned diamond company is forecasting a 16 per cent increase this year.

The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) said it was ramping up production to 5.7m carats in 2024 and would aim to increase that figure to 10m carats next year.

Munashe Shava, ZCDC board chairman, said: “Commodity prices are depressed on the global market and we have come up with various initiatives to offset this worrisome development.

The Chronicle newspaper reported him as saying: “We have ramped up production and this year we have set a target of 5.7m carats and we see this target nearly doubling to 20m carats in the coming year.”

Zimbabwe, the world’s seventh biggest diamond producing nation, recorded an output of 4.9m carats, according to Kimberley Process data, valued at $303m. It exported 5.6m carats valued at $297m.

Earlier this year the US sanctioned Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa for human rights abuses, corruption and smuggling gold and diamonds.

Mnangagwa, 81, who has held office since 2017, insists the claims against him are “defamatory” and “malicious”.

Source: IDEX

Gem Diamonds Doubles its +100 carats Haul

129.71 carat Type II white rough diamond

Gem Diamonds has now recovered twice as many +100 cts diamond this year than during the whole of 2023.

The UK-based company today announced a 129.71 carat Type II white diamond from its Letseng mine, in Lesotho.

It’s the 10th +100 cts diamond of 2024. Historically the mine averages eight per year, but last year it recovered only five.

The spike in high-value recoveries has helped push up revenue at Gem. Earlier this month it reported a 9 per cent increase in its first half earnings to $77.9m.

Letseng 70 per cent owned by Gem and 30 per cent by the Lesotho government is the highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond mine in the world.

Pic courtesy Gem Diamonds, shows the 129.71 ct stone.

Source: IDEX

US Sanctions Russian Diamond Cutter and Retail Jeweler

jewelry brand Miuz and the diamond cutter Kristall

The US has added the prominent jewelry brand Miuz and the diamond cutter Kristall to its list of sanctioned companies in Russia.

Kristall, Russia’s largest diamond cutter, is now on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List administered by the US Treasury Department.

Alrosa, its parent company has been on the list since April 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. Kristall, based in Smolensk, has been part of the Alrosa group since 2019.

Miuz Diamonds, which has production facilities in Moscow and Perm and a chain of 300 retail outlets, has also been added to the list.

Miuz is part of the Ruiz Group of diamond and jewelry enterprises, linked to Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev.

It is not clear why the companies were not sanctioned sooner.

Kristall and Miuz are among almost 400 individuals and entities in Russia and beyond its borders that were added to the SDN list last Friday (23 August).

“Russia has turned its economy into a tool in service of the Kremlin’s military industrial complex,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo, announcing the additions.

“Treasury’s actions today continue to implement the commitments made by President Biden and his G7 counterparts to disrupt Russia’s military-industrial base supply chains and payment channels.”

Source: Idex

US Lifts Ban on Grandfathered Diamonds Amid New Sanctions on Russian Gems

diamond jewellery and loose rough gem-quality diamonds

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued new licenses under the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations, allowing for the sale of diamond jewellery and loose gem-quality diamonds imported before recent sanctions were implemented. This significant policy shift permits goods that were previously prohibited to re-enter the market.

Under the new guidelines, diamond jewellery purchased before March 1, 2024, as well as loose diamonds of 1 carat or larger bought before that date, and those of at least 0.50 carats purchased before September 1, 2024, can now be sold. The relaxation for loose diamonds will remain in effect until September 1, 2025.

However, starting September 1, 2024, the next phase of G7 diamond sanctions will impose restrictions on all goods of 0.50 carats or above from Russia, regardless of where they are cut and polished. This phase of sanctions is set to take effect next Sunday, despite substantial opposition from various industry stakeholders.

In response, the Jewelers Vigilance Committee has reported that the United States is considering supporting a delay in the implementation of these sanctions. This potential delay, which aligns with the European Union’s proposed extension to March 1, 2025, aims to provide additional time to resolve the intricacies of the sanctions and their impact on the diamond trade.

Source: diamondworld

The World’s Most Expensive Apple Watch Case

Apple watch Golden Concept
Apple watch Golden Concept

Apple Watches can do everything. You can use one to track your blood pressure or unlock your car. You can use it to pay when you’re shopping or even to order a pizza. But as fans of traditional mechanical watches, we have to ask – where’s the elegance? Where’s the extravagance? You can’t flex with an Apple Watch the way you can with a Rolex Daytona and there’s no smartwatch that catches the eye like James Bond’s Omega Seamaster. Well, that was until the Swedish luxury tech accessory brand Golden Concept announced its outrageous new diamond-encrusted Apple Watch case – the most expensive in the world.

Golden Concept

You read that correctly, these are the first and only Apple Watch cases decorated with real diamonds, and if you have $15,000 spare you can grab one. But be quick as there are only 7 of these spectacular cases available, each housing 443 diamonds. Based in Stockholm, Golden Concept is a world leader when it comes to crafting exclusive and ultra-high-quality cases for Apple products, but this new release had even its biggest fans doing a double take.

So what’s all the fuss about? Quite simply, it’s the diamonds. For a start, each watch case has nearly five hundred of them and they take a week to set and hand finish. And these are exceptional E colour grade diamonds – this is the second-highest colour grade, meaning they have exceptional clarity and colourlessness. They are set into a case carved from a single block of solid titanium, a metal both stronger and lighter than the stainless steel more commonly used for watch cases.

Golden concept Apple Watch
Golden Concept

The result is a stunning design and the select buyers can have a case created for an Apple Watch 7 or opt to preorder one for the upcoming Series 8. In addition, each watch can be personalized with an engraving on the case back and, in a nice touch, the Golden Concept watches also come with a customised strap fashioned from high-performance fluoroelastomer. This is a famously durable material that is also resistant to changing temperatures making it ideal for sports use.

Yes, the price of the Diamond Edition case is insane, but we’re sure that buyers are going to love the opulence regardless. These Apple watches are neither sensible nor utilitarian. Instead, they’re over the top and excessive – ideal if you like your tech to be something to flaunt.

Golden concept diamond watch
Golden Concept

Source: Lee Smith manofmany.com