Diamond

Polished diamond prices rise for third consecutive month

Prices of polished diamonds have continued to rise in January as shortages continued to support the market, which also saw a boost from the holiday season. That is according to the latest RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI) which found the price of 1-carat, GIA-graded diamonds rose 0.9% during the month. RAPI…

Read More »

Edinburgh Assay Office celebrates one year of Heathrow sub office

The Edinburgh Assay Office is celebrating its first full year of operating a sub office at Heathrow Airport. The Hallmarking in Transit (HIT) service, which launched in January last year, was developed to streamline the supply chain for gold and gem set importers. It allows importers of precious metal jewellery…

Read More »

De Beers rough diamond sales slump 39% in 2015

Rough diamond sales for De Beers slumped 39% to 19.9 million carats in 2015, according to the firm’s parent company Anglo American. In its production report for the fourth quarter of 2015, the company said that the drop in sales was due to a 12% fall in production to 28.7…

Read More »

De Beers sells £380m worth of diamonds in first sale of 2016

De Beers has announced it sold $540m (£380m) worth of rough diamonds in the first sales cycle of 2016 – more than doubling the value achieved in the final sales cycle of 2015. The company, which holds 10 sales cycles each year, said that the sales achieved was a “significant”…

Read More »

Petra Diamonds revenue falls 28% in first-half results

Petra Diamonds has announced that revenue for the first six months of the financial year – ending December 31 – fell 28% to $154m (£108m). The fall in revenue was despite a 2% increase in production to 1,629,403 carats – compared with 1,601,069 carats in the same period last year…

Read More »

2016 ‘likely to be volatile’ claims De Beers CEO

De Beers Group chief executive, Philippe Mellier, warned of likely “volatility” in the diamond industry in 2016. Addressing a sightholder reception on Wednesday, Mellier said despite “encouraging signs” in the industry at the start of 2016, the recovery in the diamond sector remained “delicate” and there there is likely to…

Read More »

M Vainer

Natural fancy colours are “truly nature’s aberrations”, says diamond expert Richard Vainer. They only form when conditions are on the edge of ‘possible’ for diamond formation, this can create shifts in the crystal structure, or when impurities such as nitrogen (which colours diamonds yellow) or, more rarely, boron (which colours…

Read More »

True British craftsmanship from Wedds & Co

True British craftsmanship of beautiful wedding rings at competitive prices. Wedds & Co’s finest collections of plain, diamond-set wedding and eternity bands suit all tastes and budgets. Collections and display packages are available to complement any discerning retailer’s window. Its new 2016 Diamond Signature range launch is available in channel, mill…

Read More »

EXCLUSIVE: Winsor Bishop on track for ‘record’ sales growth

Norwich-based independent jeweller Winsor Bishop is on target to achieve the highest sales growth in its 185-year history, Jewellery Focus can reveal. In the financial year to date (from 1 April to 31 December), the jeweller – which was victim of an armed robbery earlier this year – reported a…

Read More »

Polished diamond prices increase in December

The price of polished diamond continued to increase in December, boosted by last-minute Christmas holiday orders. The latest Rapnet Diamond Index (RAPI) from Rapaport found the price of 1-carat, GIA-graded diamonds increased 1.5% during the month. RAPI for 0.30-carat diamonds and 0.50-carat diamonds increased by 4.7% and 3% respectively, while…

Read More »