News – Page 99 – The Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia (DCLA)

Hailey and Justin Bieber flaunt $750k worth of jewels

Justin 25 and Hailey Bieber 22 have unveiled the extremely blingy additions to their second wedding, including her dazzling wedding band and his grills.

After tying the knot in South Carolina’s Montage Palmetto Bluffs on Monday, the duo and their superstar guests have been intricately documenting the big day on social media, with their latest snaps showing their blinged up look.

In striking black and white shots taken in the photobooth, the couple showed off what amounted to an estimated $750,000.

The not so newlyweds who first tied the knot over a year ago, kicked off the night by exchanging vows in a chapel in front of a legion of celebrity guests.

Hailey perfectly matched her $500,000 engagement ring with a diamond wave shape band, believed to have come from Tiffany & Co.

The Vogue model was also seen wearing a large pair of platinum set studs from the designer jewelry brand that were over five carats and worth over $123,000.

Justin meanwhile opted for a more simple look than his blinged up bride as he donned a band of a thicker design on his wedding ring finger.

But that wasn’t the only piece of jewelry for the Sorry pop star, rocking his Israeli diamond $25,000 lavender grillz.

Justin showcased his new accessory on social media last week and it is estimated to be worth $25000.

The singer also accessorised with his new $100,000 Audemars Piguet watch that he splurged on just days before the big day.

Source: dailymail

Gold, diamonds from 2 African nations caught in U.S. forced-labor probe

Products from Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of Congo are among those from five nations to be seized by the United States at its borders because they are believed linked to forced-labor violations.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Tuesday it initiated its investigation following complaints from the public and other sources. The allegations led to the issue of a Withhold Release Order for the five products, which include gold from artisanal small mines in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and diamonds from the Marange Diamond Fields in Zimbabwe. The Marange site has a long history of alleged human rights abuses, from a 2008 massacre of civilians to 2018, when new reports of forced labor and other rights violations emerged.

“A major part of CBP’s mission is facilitating legitimate trade and travel,” said Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan. “CBP’s issuing of these five withhold release orders shows that if we suspect a product is made using forced labor, we’ll take that product off U.S. shelves.”

Because it is illegal to import goods linked to forced labor into the U.S., the CBP has the authority to order their detention but also their release. “Importers have the opportunity to either re-export the detained shipments at any time or to submit information to CBP demonstrating that the goods are not in violation,” the agency said.

Also listed were specific garments from China, rubber gloves from Malaysia and bone-black char from Brazil.

Source: africatimes

Synova Launches Automated Diamond Cutter

A technology provider part-owned by De Beers has unveiled an automated cutting machine that, it claims, will significantly speed up diamond manufacturing and reduce costs.

Synova’s DaVinci system is the market’s first automated instrument that can produce all 57 facets of a round brilliant diamond in one process, the Swiss company said Thursday. The user only needs to perform one final polishing stage to finish the stone.

“Several cost, skill and labor intensive steps in the polishing phase, such as crown and pavilion blocking, girdle bruting or recurrent quality checks, become redundant,” noted Bernold Richerzhagen, Synova’s founder and CEO.

The machine, currently intended for rough stones from 0.50 to 10 carats, gives manufacturers increased flexibility to adapt their production levels to business needs, such as seasonal demand, Synova explained.

It also gives better symmetry and a higher and more predictable polished yield, and uses water jet technology to reduce the risk of diamond cracking, the company asserted. It’s based on its existing DCS 50 cutting machine.

De Beers bought a 33% stake in Synova in 2015, pledging to work with the company to develop a fully automated cutting and shaping solution. The miner has made diamonds available for some of the machine testing.

Source: Diamonds.net

Lucara finds blue and pink diamonds at Botswana mine

Canada’s Lucara Diamond continues to find gem quality, coloured diamonds at its Karowe mine, in Botswana, which in April yielded the 1,758 carat Sewelô meaning “rare find” diamond, the largest ever recovered in the African country.

The Vancouver based miner has now recovered a 9.74 carat blue and a 4.13 carat pink diamond from direct milling of the South Lobe, the area that yielded the famous 1,111 carat “Lesedi La Rona” in 2015.

The announcement comes on the heels of last week’s display of a 123 carat gem quality, top white, Type II diamond, found at the same section of the mine.

It also follows the recent sale of a 2.24 carat blue for $347,222 per carat.

Karowe, which began commercial operations in 2012, has this year yielded 22 diamonds larger than 100 carats, eight of them exceeding 200 carats.

Since the start of the year, the miner has sold 19 diamonds each with an individual price in excess of $1 million at its quarterly tender sales. This includes seven diamonds that fetched more than $2 million each, and one diamond that carried a final price tag of over $8 million.

“Lucara is extremely pleased with the recovery of these rare, sizeable, fancy coloured diamonds, which have the potential to contribute meaningful value to our regular production of large, high-value type IIa diamonds,” chief executive, Eira Thomas, said in the statement.

The precious rocks will be put up for sale in December, during the company’s fourth quarter tender.

Lucara, which has focused efforts on the prolific Botswana mine this year, is close to completing a feasibility study into potential underground production and life of mine expansion at Karowe.

Source: mining.com

313 Carat Diamond Emerges as World’s Largest D Colour

The Constellation 313 Carat Emerald Cut polished Diamond

Nemesis International on Thursday unveiled a 313 carat diamond that has been certified as the largest D colour polished stone in history.

The emerald shape, VVS1 clarity diamond, known as Constellation 1, is one of eight stones that make up a collection manufactured from the 813 carat Constellation rough, which Nemesis bought in partnership with Swiss jeweler de Grisogono for $63.1 million in 2016. At $77,613 per carat, the stone still ranks as the most expensive rough diamond ever sold.

Tom Moses, executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer at the Gemological Institute of America, confirmed with Rapaport News that the stone was the largest graded D colour diamond on record.

However, Nemesis has no immediate plans to sell the diamonds, CEO Konema Mwenenge told Rapaport News on the sidelines of the Dubai Diamond Conference. “We want to showcase this as the work of art that it is,” he stressed. “Diamonds are not just a commodity and this stone is impossible to value. We’re focused on building its legacy.”

The company is considering a roadshow to display the collection around the world at museums and other platforms. “We want to keep them as a family from the same rough,” Mwenenge added. The eight stones vary in size and shape, and range in clarity from flawless to internally flawless and VVS. The second largest stone in the family is a 102 carat diamond.

The diamonds will also be presented in their full polished form for now, but will eventually be mounted into jewelry. That contrasts with the company’s last major project, the Art of de Grisogono, an emerald cut, 163 carat, D flawless diamond, cut and polished in New York from a 404 carat rough diamond. That piece was sold as a necklace that could also transform into a bracelet, fetching $33.7 million at a Christie’s auction.

Source: Diamonds.net

Alrosa Board Approves Kristall Takeover

Alrosa is set to finalize its acquisition of diamond manufacturer Kristall in a $29 million deal in October, following approval from its supervisory board.

Alrosa expects the RUB 1.89 billion sale-and-purchase agreement to be signed by the end of the month, with a concrete plan for the manufacturer’s integration into the company to be in place by the end of the year, it noted.

Kristall is the leading polished-diamond manufacturer in Russia and Europe, processing more than 200,000 carats of rough annually. While Alrosa already runs a manufacturing unit, the acquisition of Kristall is set to expand its share of the polished-production market from 20% to 70%.

“Despite the fact that Alrosa is currently a key supplier of rough diamonds to Kristall, it accounts for as little as 0.5% of Alrosa’s sales of rough diamonds,” Alexey Philippovskiy, Alrosa’s deputy CEO, said Wednesday. “The deal value is less than 1% of Alrosa’s net assets and, according to our estimates, the purchase price will not exceed Kristall’s net assets at the date of the transaction.”

Last year Kristall produced 105,700 carats of polished diamonds, with sales of 111,700 carats. It reported revenue of RUB 12.8 billion ($199.1 million) and profit of RUB 40.7 million ($633,040). The company also operates a jewelry entity and a business that produces tooling and equipment for the diamond industry.

Source: diamonds.net

Zimbabwe intends to sell another 500,000 carats of diamonds before end of 2019

Zimbabwe says it intends to auction between 400,000 and 500,000 carats of diamonds before the end of 2019.

This follows another auction two weeks ago, the third in 2019, in which the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) sold 316,000 carats, whose value is yet to be established as figures are still being reconciled.

Prior to the last sale, Zimbabwe had in June invited seven international buyers to participate in a private sale of nearly two million carats.

The Herald newspaper reported Wednesday that MMCZ general manager Tongai Muzenda had said that the corporation expected better returns in the short-term on account of the level of pricing systems that would prevail in the market.

“We are looking forward to conducting another diamond auction where we are targeting to sell between 400,000 and 500,000 carats by the end of November,” he said.

Zimbabwe expects to produce 4.1 million carats of diamonds this year, up from 2.8 million carats last year. At the peak of production in 2012, output was 12 million carats.

Source: xinhuanet

Strange New Mineral Discovered Trapped Inside A Diamond

You’ve heard the slogan, “Diamonds are forever” and while that’s meant to be marketed toward the jewelry customers, it also excites scientists studying diamonds.

This is because unlike when you’re shopping for an engagement ring, imperfections in the diamond are of great interest to scientists.

Through analysis of a single tiny grain imperfection within a diamond, researchers discovered a brand new mineral never before seen. The findings, published in American Mineralogist, officially introduced the new mineral goldschmidtite ((K,REE,Sr)(Nb,Cr)O3).

The diamond is from South Africa, more specifically the Koffiefontein pipe that is known for producing world-class diamonds and operated by the international diamond behemoth De Beers.

Trapped within the diamond itself is a tiny spec, an inclusion that the diamond grew over and around, trapping it within the diamond’s strong crystal lattice about 105 miles below the surface of the Earth. Inclusions in diamonds are not entirely unusual but they are exciting because it gives a glimpse into the geochemistry of the surrounding molten rock as the diamond formed.

The new mineral goldschmidtite, a dark green spec the width of a human hair, has unusual chemical properties. Thankfully, it was trapped within the diamond itself which is strong and stable enough to last millions to billions of years. Hence, it is a perfect “vessel” for preserving rare and unique minerals.

The dominant elements that make up the mantle where this diamond formed are magnesium, iron, etc. However, this spec contains niobium, potassium and the very rare elements lanthanum and cerium. The fact that this mineral contains such a unique concoction of rare elements is intriguing. How was there enough concentration of these rare elements to form this unusual mineral?

The processes by which this mineral formed must have been unique and the available elements must have been unique.

The new mineral is named after Victor Moritz Goldschmidt, who lived in the late 19th century and early 20th century and was an early and famous mineralogist. He was a pioneer in researching the perovskite crystal chemistry, a similar crystal chemistry as found in this newly discovered mineral.

The first step of identification of the mineral is now complete and the next step will be to develop a model for how this unusual mineral formed in the depths below South Africa. Certainly, the team will be looking for more examples of goldschmidtite in the Koffiefontein pipe to see if there are chemical variations and more clues as to how this unique mineral formed.

This isn’t the first time researchers have found precious information locked in diamonds. Back in 2014, a research team published a Nature paper on their discovery of hydrous minerals locked within a diamond. This provided direct evidence that water is locked away in the deep mantle.

Source: forbes

Hong Kong Show Reflects Slow Chinese Demand

The timing of the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair was unfortunate, coming amid a wave of anti-government demonstrations in the city. But for many participants, the political tensions were masking the bigger issue: Chinese demand has slowed, compounding the wider problems in the diamond industry.

“The protests are an excuse [for not attending], but really the market is not good,” said the director of a large Indian diamond manufacturer on condition of anonymity.

The trade war, the depreciation of the Chinese yuan currency, and high gold prices have reduced the buying power of companies and consumers in the country, exhibitors noted at the fair, which ended Sunday. Trade customers are mostly unwilling to buy for stock or make advance bulk orders, as they want to keep their inventory down. Some Chinese jewelers believe they can get better deals if they wait for polished prices to fall further.

“Retailers have a lot of polished goods that haven’t been sold,” a Hong Kong-based supplier noted at the show last week. “They were buying at a consistent pace, but the consumption level has gone down. They used to buy bigger parcels for the long term, but now they’re working three months at a time.” That change has occurred since May, he added.

Shift to lower qualities

Consumers are seeking cheaper jewelry items, observed Lawrence Ma, president of the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong, China. “The market has adjusted to a level that represents the [current] supply and demand,” he explained.

On a positive note, growing interest in those lower-priced items — such as 0.30- to 0.50-carat diamonds with SI clarity — could boost the trade as shortages start appearing, he added.

“Commercial goods have become very popular in China,” Ma said. “In the last two to three months, the supply of rough has decreased, which is a healthy sign. We’re already seeing certain sizes and qualities of goods might be in demand. We might find we do not have enough of these goods.”

Lower footfall, slower sales

Sales at the show were focused on commercial goods, with stable demand for 1- to 1.50-carat, G to I, VS2 to SI2 diamonds. The market for 0.30- and 0.40-carat stones was weak, but showed signs of stabilizing. Demand for diamonds weighing 3 carats and higher was sluggish, especially in better colors.

Fewer exhibitors and buyers came because of the protests and the market weakness. Trading and traffic were slow, with suppliers observing a drop in the number of Chinese clients attending. But the event still exceeded many exhibitors’ extremely low expectations, as the buyers who turned up were serious ones.

“The show has been better than expected for us, because we didn’t expect many people to come,” said Chetan Shah of R A Gem Centre, the Hong Kong unit of Indian manufacturer S. Vinodkumar Diamonds. “Whoever [came to our booth] were people who really wanted to buy diamonds. They were looking for goods at an attractive price, and if we have the goods, they will buy.”

Sensing an improvement

While buyers were mainly cautious, a minority of exhibitors said clients were aiming to take advantage of the relatively low polished prices to stock up on merchandise.

“People have come to find cheap goods because prices are down,” said Aashay Bhansali, a trader at Antwerp-based diamond supplier Veera Dimon. “Prices have fallen so much, and they don’t think there will be another price fall.”

Diamantaires expressed some optimism that the upcoming holidays would boost Chinese demand, beginning with Golden Week, which starts October 1. Retailers have slowly been working down their inventories by reducing purchases, and will soon be ready to buy again, another Antwerp-based company executive predicted. Golden Week, Christmas and Chinese New Year all offer opportunities for local diamond sales, he noted.

“They haven’t bought much over the last few months, so I’m sure demand will come back,” he explained. “They can’t keep on like that.”

Source: diamonds.net

Petra finds 20.08-carat blue diamond at flagship Cullinan mine

South Africa’s Petra Diamond has found yet another big rock at its iconic Cullinan mine, one of the many coloured diamonds it has unearthed at the operation this year.

The exceptional 20.08 carat blue gem quality diamond Type IIb demonstrates that Cullinan remains a significant source of rare blue diamonds, and confirms the ability of the mine’s plant to recover the full spectrum of precious stones, Petra said.

In April this year, the company found a 424.89 carat exceptional D colour Type IIa diamond at the same mine. The stone was sold the next month for just under $15 million.

In 2015, Petra sold “The Blue Moon of Josephine”, a 29.6 carat blue diamond, for $48.5 million, marking a world record price per carat at auction for any diamond at the time.