The Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia (DCLA)
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Gem Diamonds has recovered another 100 carat plus rough diamond this year.
The recovery of the D colour type IIa stone shortly after the recovery of a 910 carat D colour IIa rough diamond from Letšeng last week.
Gem Diamonds began extracting ore from a higher grade part of Letšeng last year, resulting in the increase of large stones.
Gem Diamonds Letseng mine is located in the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa.
Gem Diamonds has recovered a 910 carat rough diamond at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, the fifth largest rough ever found.
The D colour type IIa diamond is the largest to be unearthed at Letšeng, outranking the 603 carat Lesotho Promise recovered in 2006.
That stone was sold for $12.4 million, to Graff Diamonds, which owns a 15% stake in Gem Diamonds.
Last year, Graff bought the 1,109 carat Lesedi la Rona, the second largest rough diamond in history, for $53 million, or $47,790 per carat.
The discovery follows a recent revival of exceptionally large stones recovered at Letšeng, which is known for its high value production.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will this year open a laboratory in Surat, and expand its operations in Antwerp to include diamond grading.
The GIA has secured premises for the two locations, and expects to open both in the second quarter, it said Monday.
The Surat laboratory will bring the GIA’s services — including its Melee Analysis Service for detecting synthetics — closer to companies in that important manufacturing hub, the organization noted. In Antwerp, it will introduce diamond-grading services, and increase capacity for its mine-to-market (M2M) program, which matches rough diamonds to their resulting polished, the lab said.
“Expanding our facility in Antwerp, and opening a new location in Surat, continues GIA’s mission-driven effort to bring our research-based laboratory services for diamonds, colored stones and pearls ever closer to our clients,” said Tom Moses, the GIA’s executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer.
Clients will be able to drop off goods for every service at both the Surat and Antwerp labs, the GIA added.
Image: Valerie Power/GIA
Source: Diamonds.net
The two Rough diamonds each weighing more than 100 carats were recovered by Gem Diamonds at the Lesotho mine in southern Africa.
Both rough Diamonds weight 117 carats and 110 carats are D color Type IIa diamonds.
Type IIa diamonds carbon bonds contain little or no nitrogen atoms making them very white and rare. These are the most expensive white diamonds.
Graff Jewellers a leader in the diamond business since 1960 has purchased the 476 carat rough diamond named The Meya Prosperity Diamond.
The Rough diamond was mined in Sierra Leone.
Graff paid $16.5 million for the exceptional rough diamond , another in a long line of extraordinary diamond bought by Graff.
The magnificent rough diamond is the 29th largest diamond ever recovered and is the fifth largest stone from Sierra Leone.
Consumers still prefer speaking with jewelers before making a purchase, despite the recent rise in online purchases, a survey has found.
Some 64% of people who bought jewelry visited a store to consult with an expert while deciding what to buy, according to a study released last week by Jewelers of America (JA). That’s 26% more than for other luxury items, the trade body’s online survey of 2,019 consumers showed.
Consumers who talk to a jeweler during the research process are also more likely to buy from a local store rather than online, the organization added.
“For consumers, seeing is believing, and they still rely on the expertise and knowledge of their jeweler,” said David Bonaparte, CEO of JA. “The jewelry shopping experience is different from other luxury purchases, and even in the rise of e-commerce, customers increasingly prioritize the in-store shopping experience.”
Even so, the brick-and-mortar trade is fearful of the impact of online sellers. In a separate JA survey of 257 of its members, spanning retailers and suppliers, 39% of jewelry retailers considered e-commerce to be their biggest competition.
However, only 34% of retailers surveyed actually have an online sales platform. At the same time, jewelers are working on improving their in-store experience by ensuring they have well-trained sales staff and high-quality customer service, the trade association added.
Jewelry self-purchasing is more popular for precious-metal products, JA found, with 56% of consumers considering gold jewelry to be a good choice as something to buy for oneself. Some 40% put sterling-silver jewelry in this category, while pieces containing diamonds and gemstones were more likely to be a candidate for gifting. Overall, 50% of consumers thought fine jewelry had sentimental value and helped to mark special occasions, JA said.
Source: diamonds.net
De Beers reported steady demand for rough diamonds at its December sight as sales showed an increase over the equivalent period last year.
The miner sold $450 million worth of rough in its final sales cycle of the year, including last week’s sight in Gaborone and its auctions, it reported Tuesday. Provisional proceeds rose 6.6% compared with actual sales for the same period last year, though they slipped 3.4% from November sales.
Read More: diamonds.net
In 1940 when R.V. Cullinan the son of the renowned diamond magnate Sir Thomas Cullinan asked De Beers director Pierre De Villiers to buy him some diamonds on his next visit to Kimberley.
A collection of Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamonds owned by South Africa’s mining elite has sold at a Bonhams auction for well above its expected price.
The collection sold as two separate lots at the for a total of $773,350.
A crossover ring with two fancy vivid blue diamonds designed by Graff Jewellers has smashed its pre-sale estimate.
The ring has sold at the Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels auction fetching more than $12.5 million USD.
Fancy colour diamonds will lead Magnificent Jewels sale on Wednesday.
Topping the sale is a Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond ring designed by Graff Jewellers. Estimated price is $6.5 million – $8.5 million USD.
The two Vivid blue Diamonds weighing approximately 3.36 and 2.71 carats with VVS2 and VS1 clarity grades are set in a crossover design, In a platinum setting.