Christie’s Geneva Jewel Auction

Christie’s Geneva magnificent jewels Auction on 11 of November, features over 390 lots.

The jewellery auction is estimates sales to exceed $80 million.  

The auction is highlighted by a pair of earrings by Bulgari set with a 6.95 carat fancy vivid blue diamond and a 6.79 carat fancy vivid pink diamond, with an estimate of $12 million and $15 million. 

Rough 232-Ct Diamond sold for $15M

The exceptional 232.08 ct white diamond was recovered at the Cullinan mine in South Africa.

Cullinan mine owned and operated by Petra Diamonds earned its place in history in 1905 with the discovery of the largest rough gem diamond ever found weighing 3,106 carats.

Petra sold the 232.08 ct gem for $15,219,219 or $65,577 per carat.

Surat diamond companies financial strength evaluate by banks

Diamond companies in India, Antwerp and Dubai receive $15 billion worth of finance per annum.

Leading private and public sector banks have started to visit the Surat diamond hub to evaluate the financial strength of diamond companies that were using large facilities.

After the closure of Antwerp Diamond Bank and the Standard Chartered Bank cutting exposure to the diamond industry alarm bells are ringing in the Indian banking sector.

Bank officials from Mumbai visited diamond companies in Katargam and Varachha, and conducted meetings with their owners on diamond prices and demand of diamonds from the US and China.

De Beers October Sight Estimated at $460M

De Beers sight for October is estimated at $460 million USD. De Beers reported the prices for several different categories of goods were down between 2 percent and 4 percent.

Sightholders also said that De Beers changed the assortment for some of its boxes for higher qualities which may offset the lower prices.

8.41Ct IF Fancy Vivid Purple Pink Sells For Record $17.8M

Sotheby’s auctioneers announced a world record auction price for a fancy vivid pink diamond. The sale of an 8.41 ct Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Purple Pink Diamond sold for $17.77 million beating the estimate $13 million to $15.5 million.

The Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Sale in Hong Kong on Tuesday raised $75 million.

DCLA has moved to a new office.

After 13 years the DCLA laboratory has moved to a new office, DCLA now resides at 901/9 floor Citiside House 155 Castlereagh Street. We now have an office with a view. All customers welcome to visit.

Lesotho Storm 23.82 Pink Diamond

KAO Mine in Lesotho has recovered a second exceptional pink diamond weighing 23.82 cts. The diamond has been named the ‘Lesotho Storm’.

The KAO Mine is the largest diamond-bearing diamond pipe in Lesotho and the fourth-largest in South Africa and Lesotho. The mine regularly produces a broad spectrum of sizes and qualities, including exceptional large white and fancy coloured stones.

3.37 Ct Purple Orchid Diamond

A fancy intense pinkish purple VS2 diamond will be on display to the public at the Hong Kong Fair, and the Purple Orchid has an asking price of $1.2 million per carat.

The exceptional diamond belonging to Israeli firm Leibish & Co originated from an unnamed South African mine, one of the few in the world where purple diamonds can be found.

There is nothing more unique on the market right now, and this incredible 3 carat purple diamond is more than a cut above the rest.

Diamonds not always a buyer’s best friend, dispute shows

Founded in Tel Aviv in 1974 and now with eight offices worldwide, EGL (European Gemological Laboratory) is the target in a lawsuit in US courts after claims of “over-grading” diamonds, certifying them as being worth more than they really are – a charge the service vehemently denies.

Whether the issue for EGL’s alleged over-certification of the diamonds is fraud – or the result of a decades-old difference of opinion on how to fix and rate the value of stones – will be for the courts to decide.

EGL suffered the latest blow this week when Martin Rapaport, chairman of the Rapaport Group, which publishes an authoritative diamond price list and table that is considered the standard for diamond pricing in the US, said that his service would no longer list stones evaluated and certified by EGL for the all-important “four C’s” that determine the value of a diamond – carat, color, clarity and cut. In a statement, Rapaport said that his service “is opposed to the misrepresentation of diamond quality. The over-grading of diamonds is an unfair practice that destroys consumer confidence and the legitimacy of the diamond industry.”

The brouhaha stems from a series of lawsuits against Genesis Diamonds, a retailer in Nashville, brought by several customers who claim they were sold overpriced diamonds. In one case, a customer paid $135,000 for two stones, one weighing 3.01 carats and the second 3.04 carats, rated as “excellent” and “very good” cuts by EGL. But another appraisal placed the stones a grade lower, at “very good” and “good.” That appraisal valued them at just $22,500. The case was covered on a local Nashville television station, which highlighted the issue of the EGL report. Since then, other suits have been filed against Genesis.

But EGL CEO Guy D. Benhamou said that the reports got it all wrong — the issue is not fraud, but subjective interpretations of what constitutes a “good” diamond. In a statement, Benhamou said that “it is well known that since gemology is not an exact science, the same diamond sent to several gem labs could produce different grading results. You can receive different grades for the same diamond from several different labs. That does not mean that any of the diamond labs made a mistake, it is simply in the nature of the business. Any diamond grader and lab will tell you that.”