Anglo American’s De Beers, the world’s largest rough diamond producer by value, has decided to begin selling its own polished diamonds in auctions for the first time in its history.
The pilot auction, scheduled for June, will include a wide range of polished stones manufactured directly from the company’s own rough diamonds.
"The pilot auction, scheduled for June 29, will include a wide range of polished stones manufactured directly from De Beer’s own rough diamonds." All the polished rocks will carry grading reports from both the International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR) — De Beers’ in-house grading unit — and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
“We are interested in testing the level of demand from polished buyers for diamonds that have a clear and attractive source of origin, and that offer the assurance of product integrity that dual certification provides,” Neil Ventura, the miner’s executive vice president of auction sales, said in the statement.
If successful, the process would provide De Beers with more insight into the polished market, while also helping consumers fill gaps in supply or inventory if they were unable to find goods at the company’s rough auctions, he added.
All registered De Beers auction buyers will be eligible to bid in the first sale, which takes place on June 29.
Another D colour Type II diamond weighing 80 carats has been recovered.
Shares in Gem Diamonds spiked on Thursday after the miner announced it had recovered one of the highest quality stones to come out of its Letseng mine in Lesotho.
The discovery of this 80 carat diamond comes less than a month after the miner announced the recovery of a 114 carat rough diamond. And two years after Gem Diamonds found a 357 carat rough diamond, which sold for $19.3 million.
Gem Diamonds has recovered four of the 20 largest white gem quality diamonds ever recovered, which makes of the Lesotho mine the world’s highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond operation.
Petra Diamonds announced that it had recovered a 138.57-carat, Type IIa, D-colour diamond at its historic Cullinan mine near Pretoria in South Africa. The company said the diamond would be offered for sale in Johannesburg later this month.
De Beers which produces thirty percent of world rough diamonds has cut prices by 10 percent for the sight.
This comes after two reductions in its annual production output by 15 percent failed to slow slump in prices of rough.
Rough diamond prices have dropped 14 percent in some categories and are in their fifth consecutive quarterly loss, which is the longest in a decade.
De Beers cut the size of the sight to $250 million and reduced the prices by 9 percent, according to sight holders.
De Beers has also contributed tens of millions to a jewellery advertising campaign. Its advertising campaign will promote diamond jewellery in the U.S. and to Chinese consumers.
De Beers’s the world’s largest rough producer felt the pain, when only $300 million of the $450 million estimated sight was taken up by their sightholders. This leaves 30 percent of the rough on offer on the table.
Anglo has previously counted on diamond revenues to offset a collapse in the price of other metals and minerals it mines. Anglo may cut the company’s dividend for the first time since 2009 according to analysts.
This is an indication of turmoil in the $80 billion diamond industry as traders, cutters and polishers suffer from a poor liquidity and weaker demand for jewellery.
Producers in India, where 90 percent of rough diamonds are cut and polished, may halt imports over the supply glut.
Update: Report sightholders may have refused 35%-50% at July sight which may be as low as $200M.
The major investment in Surat facility reflects a world class diamond cutting and polishing centre characterised by skill, innovation and the effective use of technology.
De Beers the world’s leading diamond company is considering a diamond auction centre in India.
This laboratory is the second of its kind in the world owned International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research.
The laboratories primary function will be to select and inscribe Forevermark diamonds with the unique serial number to deliver an accurate and reliable grading for diamonds.
De Beers is the world’s leading diamond company established in 1888 experts in exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds.
Twelve Indian diamond companies including Kiran Gems, Asian Star and Rosy Blue India, have signed three year contracts with ALROSA at the World Diamond Conference,
Each of the companies signed separate contracts with ALROSA and will buy rough diamonds worth USD 2.1 billion or about USD 700 million per year for a period of three years. This will assist the companies save considerable amount of commissions.
The International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research is part of the
De Beers group of companies.
Based in Antwerp and run by the world’s top diamond experts, the International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research benefits from proprietary equipment of the De Beers group of companies that enables the most precise grading and assessment for both rough and polished diamonds
Gem Diamonds Ltd has had a 50 percent value increase this year. Rough diamond prices have risen about 14 percent year to date on Chinese demand.
Gem Diamonds average sales were at $2,747 per carat an increase 58 percent. Gem Diamonds Letseng mine in Lesotho has produced some of the world’s biggest diamonds, including the 603-carat Lesotho Promise.
A polished diamond from the Lesotho Promise is at Graff Diamonds in London. Gem Diamonds reported first two quarter profit of $19.7 million. And Gem reported an increase in sales of 54 percent to $148.9 million.
