Economy
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Jan- 2021 -15 January
Hallmarking down by 12.1% in December
The total number of pieces hallmarked during December 2020 decreased by only 12.1% compared with the same month last year, according to the latest figures from the Birmingham Assay office. Gold hallmarked pieces decreased 4.7% from 290,186 to 276,475 and silver items decreased17.7% from 326,442 to 268,709. Platinum hallmarking also…
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5 January
Diamond trading slows over Christmas
Diamond trading slowed down over the holiday season as the industry shifted focus to retail and as diamantaires took their end-of-year break, according to Rapaport USA. The volume of 1-carat diamonds on RapNet declined 24% in the second half of 2020, with the top 10% of diamonds in that category…
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Nov- 2020 -20 November
Holiday engagement rings driving jewellery sales, says De Beers
Engagement rings are driving jewellery sales this holiday season, according to De Beers Group’s latest Diamond Insight ‘Flash’ report. From the group’s interviews with US-based jewellers, bridal sales are the primary source of diamond jewellery demand in recent months. When it came to customers researching engagement rings, online was the…
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18 November
Rough diamond value falls in Cycle 9, says De Beers
De Beers Group has announced that the value of rough diamond sales slightly declined against the previous cycle for the ninth sales cycle of 2020. Currently, rough diamonds are being provisionally valued at $450m (£338m) for the ninth sales cycle, which is a decrease from the $467m (£351m) sales value…
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16 November
Hallmarking slightly improves in October
The total number of pieces hallmarked in October 2020 fell by 17.5% compared with the same month last year, according to the latest figures from the Birmingham Assay office. This marked a total improvement against September’s figures, where total hallmarking was down by 19.5% against the prior year. Gold hallmarked…
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3 November
Half-term sees footfall rise 6.2%
Footfall rose by 6.2% during half-term in the UK, according to the latest data from retail experts Springboard. This is despite a 53.7% footfall decrease in Wales, following the country’s two-week ‘firebreak’ lockdown. Retail park, high street and shopping centre rose by 3.5%, 5.2% and 11% over the period, respectively.…
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Oct- 2020 -23 October
UK retail sales grow for fifth consecutive month
Retail sales in the UK have risen for the fifth consecutive month, despite the introduction of the tiered lockdown system, according to the latest figures released by the ONS. Last month, overall growth in sales volume was up 5.5% compared with February’s pre-pandemic levels. In the three months to the…
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15 October
London and Essex set to move into Tier 2 restrictions
London and Essex will face tougher Tier 2 Covid-19 restrictions from Saturday (17 October), including a ban on the mixing of households, local MPs have been told. According to the BBC, health secretary Matt Hancock is set to update MPs on the latest measures in the Commons later today. Under…
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14 October
De Beers value rough diamond sales at $467m
De Beers Group has announced the value of rough diamond sales at $467m (£360m) for the eighth sales cycle of 2020. The diamond company has implemented a more flexible approach to rough diamond sales during this cycle, with the online Sight sales event extending beyond its normal week-long duration. The…
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13 October
Hallmarking falls 19.5% in September
The total number of pieces hallmarked during September 2020 decreased by 19.5% compared with the same month last year, according to the latest figures from the Birmingham Assay office. Gold hallmarked pieces decreased 17.2% from 355,522 to 294,451 and silver items decreased 24.1% from 377, 587 to 286,401. Palladium hallmarking…
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