The Romanovs, a unique 179-carat rough diamond, was recovered from Nyurbinskaya kimberlite pipe in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) on October 9, 2015.

The rough diamond was cut and polished by the most skilled and experienced craftsmen from DIAMONDS ALROSA. They completed their work in March 2017.

All in all, they took a year and a half to manufacture the diamonds.

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Rapaport Weekly Market Comment

Nov 2, 2017 11:00 AM By Rapaport News

Polished prices relatively stable with 1 ct. RAPI -0.2% in Oct. Shortages of select fine-cut diamonds helping stabilize the market, with improvement in US memo demand as holiday season approaches. Jewelers optimistic as stock-market rally expected to boost consumer spending. Inventory purchases limited, with most relying on memo. Polished supply projected to rise after Diwali break, as 3Q rough mining production reaches decade high of 26.4M cts. from top 4 miners. Hong Kong’s Tse Sui Luen1H sales +12% to $222M. Tiffany opens New York pop-up stores in time for holiday season. Rapaport to host New York viewing of Alrosa Dynasty Collection on Nov. 8-17. Alrosa auction on Nov. 29.

Fancies: Ovals selling well in US. Pears and Cushions steady. Squares soft, with declining interest in Princesses. US demand supporting market for commercial-quality, medium-priced fancies under 1 ct. Selective buyers of large, fine-quality fancy shapes facing limited supply. Far East demand improving as consumers seek fancy shapes at better prices. Off-make, poorly cut fancies illiquid and hard to sell, even at very deep discounts.

United States: Trading slow, but good networking opportunities surrounding New York JA show. Buyers looking for profitable goods that are liquid, with dealers holding large volumes of less popular diamonds. Steady demand for better-quality G-J, VS2-I1 diamonds. Jewelry retailers starting to implement holiday-season sales strategies.

Belgium: Polished market slightly quieter than last month, with bourses closed for Nov. 1 public holiday. Steady demand for 0.50 to 2.99 ct., I-J, VS-SI diamonds. Buyers insisting on 3X, no-fluorescence goods. Shortage of top-quality SIs. Rough trading slow, with fewer goods on the dealer market since Diwali.

Israel: Steady trading as local dealers capitalize on slow activity in India during Diwali. Steady Chinese demand for 1 ct., I-K, VS1-SI1. US demand stable, with jewelers making select last-minute jewelry orders. 0.50 ct. goods weak, with rising availability of these sizes. Yoram Dvash confirmed as Israel Diamond Exchange president for three-year term.

India: Market still quiet as businesses return from Diwali break. Activity expected to improve next week, but manufacturers to remain on vacation.Dealers anticipate some last-minute US holiday demand. Rough trading slow with factories closed for three weeks since Diwali, allowing suppliers to reduce inflated polished inventory.

Hong Kong: Positive sentiment as jewelers prepare inventory for Christmas and Chinese New Year seasons. Steady demand for 0.30 to 1 ct., F-H, VS-SI diamonds. Good demand for better-quality SIs, but supplies tight. Fancy color diamonds gaining popularity in China, especially pinks and yellows. Consumer demand improving, with jewelers reporting double-digit sales growth over last year.

Gem Diamonds Enjoying Large-Stone Boom

CEO Clifford Elphick on Asian Demand, Rough Prices, and Why He’s Selling Diamonds in Israel

RAPAPORT... As a producer of large rough stones, Gem Diamonds relies on high-end consumer demand more than many companies in the industry do. Fortunately for the London-based miner, the recovery of the Asian market this year has ensured strong appetite for its high-value diamonds.

The Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair in September “surprised everybody” in how positive it was for the big-stone market, company CEO Clifford Elphick (pictured) tells Rapaport News.

“It’s spilled into people replenishing their stocks. At the top end of the market, it looks good,” says the executive, who was in Israel last month for the inaugural viewing of the miner’s large rough at the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE).

Demand for large polished goods has increased: the RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI™) for 3-carat polished diamonds rose 4.5% in the first 10 months of the year. Elphick hinted that this was partly due to a recovery in the Far East, which contains some of the most important consumer markets for higher-end diamonds.

Asian equation

“The US is still the key, but certainly China is increasingly important, especially in the larger stones,” Elphick explains. “It’s very interesting that financial analysts can’t help but be gloomy about China, [though].... Every month, year after year, China growth is 6.5% to 7%. Analysts always scramble for a reason, but say next month it will all fall off a cliff. I’m starting to disregard all these things.”

China’s gross domestic product increased 6.8% in the third quarter after growing 6.9% in the previous two, according to data provider Trading Economics. The world’s second-largest economy is comfortably on track to hit the government’s target of 6.5% growth for the year, news media quoted Chinese statistics chief Ning Jizhe as saying last month.

Hong Kong-based jewelers’ sales have also increased, as has their appetite for buying large polished diamonds. Chow Tai Fook spent $16.8 million on a green diamond at a Christie’s auction in May 2016, and splurged a record $71.2 million on a pink jewel at Sotheby’s in April this year.

This has all had a positive impact on the rough market and Gem Diamonds’ sales. In 2016, sales from the company’s Letšeng mine in Lesotho slumped 22%, while the group recorded losses of $144.1 million. This year, a shift to a more lucrative section of the mine resulted in higher production of 100-carat-plus diamonds. This, coupled with an improvement in large-stone demand, drove Letšeng sales up 19% in the third quarter.

Land of the profits?

It was this demand for large diamonds that brought Elphick to Israel, where the manufacturing sector specializes in cutting bigger goods and sending them on to trading or consumer markets.

Since the Letšeng mine opened in 2004, Gem Diamonds has exclusively sold its rough through tenders in Antwerp. However, Shai Schnitzer, chairman of IDE’s rough-diamond committee, “demonstrated to us very successfully that the nature of our goods is well-suited to Israeli manufacturers,” Elphick recalls.

“There are a number of very strong companies here who don’t travel to Antwerp, and it may work to do tenders here,” he says.

The company plans to hold four or five pilot viewings at the Israeli bourse, running until the middle of next year, and will continue to bring its diamonds to the Ramat Gan market eight times a year if the trial shows positive results. So far, indications are good: 50 companies signed up for the first viewing.

“We have a waiting list,” Elphick adds. “We didn’t realize it would be like this. It’s extremely encouraging.”

No alarm

Rough prices are growing. De Beers’ rough-price index — measuring like-for-like changes — increased 4% in the first half. Gem Diamonds’ July tender in Antwerp continued that trend, achieving an average price of $2,397 per carat — the highest the miner has seen since September 2015, according to its third-quarter trading update.

Yet Elphick is not raising the alarm about the impact of rising rough prices on midstream profitability, mainly because his company’s clients are generally faring better than those who deal in smaller stones. In addition, he says, because Gem Diamonds sells rough via tenders, rather than contract sales like De Beers and Alrosa hold, the company does not determine its own prices. Clients place their own bids on goods, instead of just choosing whether to accept or reject a stated price.

“We don’t round up diamantaires at the end of the barrel of a gun, take them into a room and force them to buy our rough,” the executive points out. “The prices are what the rough-diamond dealer wants to pay. We don’t set prices and ask people to pay those. I can’t comment on whether it’s a good price or a bad one.”

While he notes that customers’ inability to turn a profit filters back to the miners, he is optimistic about his client base. “We produce large, fine, top-quality rough. As I understand, there’s still good profitability for the industry in that area.”

Small change

In contrast, the company is working to sell its Ghaghoo mine in Botswana, which produces smaller goods, because prices for those diamonds have been sinking. A potential suitor is currently reviewing data on the asset with a view to buying it, and is making “good progress,” Elphick said.

That potential sale would leave Gem Diamonds as a one-mine company. This does not overly worry Elphick, who says the focus now is to increase Letšeng’s profitability. For instance, the company has been working with experts from the University of Johannesburg on technology to reduce diamond breakages by identifying precious stones in the kimberlite before they reach the crushers.

This would help preserve 100-carat-plus diamonds, the recovery of which fell from a peak of 11 in 2015 to just five in 2016, before increasing to six in the first nine of months of this year.

And getting involved in mergers and acquisitions is “not on our minds at the moment, but as a public company, you’re always in the market,” he adds. “We’re always looking at other opportunities, constantly. ut] there’s nothing that we’re actively considering.”

Rapaport Weekly Market Comment

Nov 9, 2017 11:00 AM

Polished trade improving ahead of US holiday season, but India still slow after Diwali. Positive retail sentiment as jewelers prepare omni-channel platforms targeting millennials and female self-purchasers. Rough markets quiet, with small De Beers sight expected and cutters aiming to reduce inventory and raise profitability. Grib mine projected 2017 sales +16% to 4.4M cts., average price +4.5%. Lucara 3Q sales +105% to $78M, profit of $33M vs. loss of $4M. Belgium Oct. rough imports +1% to $904M. Titan Company 2Q sales +30% to $542M, profit +67% to $43M. Pandora 3Q revenue +13% to $809M, profit -3% to $213M. Rapaport hosts NY viewing of Alrosa Dynasty Collection on Nov. 8-17.

Fancies: Ovals selling well in US. Pears and Cushions steady. Squares soft, with declining interest in Princesses. US demand supporting market for commercial-quality, medium-priced fancies under 1 ct. Selective buyers of large, fine-quality fancy shapes facing limited supply. Far East demand improving as consumers seek fancy shapes at better prices. Off-make, poorly cut fancies illiquid and hard to sell, even at very deep discounts.

United States: New York trading slow. Dealers holding large polished inventory and have little appetite to buy. Activity below expectations for this time of year. Some traders traveled to Mumbai looking for deals during Diwali break. Steady demand for 1 ct., G-J, VS-SI diamonds. IF-VVS soft. Jewelry retail sales steady, with good bridal demand ahead of the holiday season.

Belgium: Sentiment improving. Israeli and Indian dealers in Antwerp looking for specific categories that are in short supply due to slow polished production. Good demand for 2 to 5 ct., D-G, VS-SI RapSpec A2+ diamonds. Oversized fancy shapes selling well. Rough market quiet during De Beers sight week.

Israel: Active trading, with steady US demand for 1 to 3 ct., F-J, VS2-I1 RapSpec A3+ diamonds. Far East orders focused on 1 ct., I-K, VS1-SI1 diamonds. Ovals and pears are strongest fancy shapes, with good demand for larger sizes. Stable market for fancy yellow diamonds. Bourse pushing online trading opportunity.

India: Market still quiet as businesses slowly return from Diwali break. Inaugural India International Diamond Week helps raise activity, with sizable foreign-buyer delegation, including strong NY presence. Steady demand for 1 ct., G-J, VS2-SI1 (3X, no-fluorescence). Good demand for better-quality SIs in all sizes. Polished production slow as factories remain closed after Diwali.

Hong Kong: Diamond market stable. Strong promotional activity, with dealers and jewelers expecting improvement during Singles’ Day online sales festival (11/11). Steady demand for 0.30 to 1 ct., F-H, VS-SI (3X, no-fluorescence) stones. Shortage of better-quality SIs. Improving retail demand for fancy shapes as consumers look for better-quality goods at affordable price points

Graff Among Buyers at Record Pink Diamond Sale

Rio Tinto reported “double-digit” price growth at this year’s Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, with Graff Diamonds among the companies putting in winning bids.

Collectors and jewelers from 11 countries bought the 58 pink, red and violet diamonds originating from the mine in Australia, Rio Tinto said Thursday. These included the radiant-cut, 2.11-carat, fancy red Argyle Everglow (pictured, below right), which sold to New York-based Optimum Diamonds for the highest price in the annual tender’s 33-year history.

Rio Tinto did not disclose the exact sum, as it does not share financial details of its annual tenders.

Optimum also won the radiant-cut, 0.91-carat, fancy deep grey-violet Argyle Liberté. Meanwhile, Graff snatched up the cushion-shaped, 2.42-carat, fancy purple-pink Argyle Avaline (above) — the largest pink in this year’s collection. Israel-based Leibish & Co. won three stones, a spokesperson for the company said.

“We will take great care to respect the delicate beauty of Argyle Avaline as we craft a setting for this exquisite and exceptionally rare diamond,” said Laurence Graff, founder and chairman of Graff Diamonds.

The tender achieved a “record result,” reflecting strong global demand for Argyle’s rare colored diamonds, Rio Tinto said.

“The market fundamentals for pink diamonds — strong demand for a product that is both limited and finite — continue to support their significant value appreciation,” said Alan Chirgwin, the miner’s vice president of sales and marketing for copper and diamonds.

V Siera Leone minulý týždeň objavený 476 ct. diamant v okrese Kono.

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Náhrdelník s diamantom 163,41 karátov v utorok Christie v Ženeve predala za 33,7 milióna dolárov, čo je rekordná cena za farebnú kombináciu .

Obdĺžnikovo rezaný diamant, umiestnený v náhrdelníku so smaragdovým a diamantovým náhrdelníkom, získal v hoteli Four Seasons des Bergues v Ženeve 206 266 dolárov za karát pred viac ako 4 600 návštevníkmi. Diamant, ktorý bol najväčší z jeho farby a jasnosti, ktorý bol kedy predvedený v aukcii, bol predaný anonymnému uchádzačovi o telefón.

Priznajte sa kto to kúpil ?🙄

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Já se přiznávám, že jsem to nebyl! Na mne to nesvedete!

Trafená hus zagága...😉

:mrgreen:

Rapaport Weekly Market Comment

Nov 16, 2017 11:00 AM By Rapaport News

Sentiment improves, with wholesale jewelers busy filling Christmas orders. Record $25.3B Alibaba Singles’ Day (11/11) sales signal strong mobile buying for upcoming holiday season. Polished trading stable. Rough market cautious, with low profitability after $455M De Beers sight. High polished inventory sinks Sarine 3Q sales -35% to $11M. Geneva auctions disappoint. Christie’s sells $106M (75% by lot), with emerald, 163ct., D, FL Art of de Grisogono going for $33.7M ($206,266/ct.). Sotheby’s sells $79M (87% by lot), with 33.63ct., fancy light pink, VVS1 diamond fetching $12.8M ($381,154/ct.). Raj Pink fails to sell. Peace Diamond arrives in New York ahead of Dec. 4 auction.

Fancies: Curved fancy shapes in good demand. Ovals are strongest category, followed by Pears and Cushions. Some squares — Emerald and Radiant — are okay, but Princess still weak. Oversizes selling well. Steady demand for fine-quality 6 to 10 ct. Ovals, Pears and Emeralds, with limited supply. US demand supporting market for commercial-quality, medium-priced fancies under 1 ct. Far East demand improving as consumers seek fancy shapes at better prices. Off-make, poorly cut fancies illiquid and hard to sell, even at very deep discounts.

United States: Steady market, but dealers concerned about low profit margins.Better to trade polished than manufacture rough. Good demand for 1 ct., G-J, VS-I2 diamonds. Engagement-ring market steady, with average spend +25% in last five years to $6,351, according to The Knot. Rising expectations for retail holiday season.

Belgium: Antwerp busier than last week. Steady trading, with sellers managing expectations of demanding buyers. Robust interest in 0.30 to 1 ct., G-J, VS-SI (3X, no-fluorescence) diamonds. VVS weak. Rough market stable, but low premiums on secondary market. African Diamond Conference and Rough Diamond Days events attract attention and support Antwerp’s claim as rough-diamond trading center.

Israel: Positive sentiment as trading improves from last month. Stable US demand, with dealers filling holiday orders. A lot of goods sent out on memo. Steady interest in 1 ct., F-J, VS-SI2 diamonds. 2 ct. SIs moving well. Dealers cutting costs to improve margins. Large-stone rough market stable.

India: Trading returning to normal after Diwali, with dealers filling US and Chinese holiday orders. Steady market for 1 ct., G-J, VS2-SI1 (3X, no-fluorescence) diamonds. Rough demand stable, despite high polished inventory levels. Factories ramping up polished production after Diwali break. Gold jewelry demand slow in 3Q due to new GST tax system, World Gold Council reports. Diwali sales average.

Hong Kong: Positive outlook as retail improves ahead of Christmas and Chinese New Year. Positive sentiment after Alibaba’s record online Singles’ Day sales. Jewelers preparing omni-channel offering for holiday season. Good demand for 1 ct., D-H, VS-SI1 (3X, no-fluorescence). Fancy color diamonds gaining popularity, especially pinks and blues.