News
Richemont, Signet in talks to join De Beers consortium – report
Luxury group Richemont and US retailer Signet Jewelers are in advanced talks to join the Global Diamond Consortium (GDC) bidding for De Beers, according to five people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports.
Yesterday
Rio Tinto begins Q4 of 2026 with strong operational performance
The Anglo-Australian mining group Rio Tinto has reported its third-quarter 2026 results, highlighting strong operational performance.
Yesterday
Silver market deficit to widen in 2026 - report
In the latest World Silver Survey prepared by the Silver Institute and Metals Focus, the global silver market deficit is forecast to widen for the sixth consecutive year to 46.3 million ounces.
Yesterday
Tharisa signs PGM offtake deal with Valterra Platinum, expands chrome collaboration
South Africa’s Tharisa has entered a binding arrangement for the sale of PGM concentrate to Rustenburg Platinum Mines, a subsidiary of Valterra Platinum, effective 1 January 2027.
Yesterday
Norilsk hosts Nornickel’s 3rd Geology and Mine Surveying Forum
The 3rd Geology and Mine Surveying Forum, organized by Nornickel, has kicked off in Norilsk. The event continues to grow in scope, this year bringing together representatives from universities, equipment suppliers, design teams, mining companies, and...
Yesterday
Diamond Scam Probe Reopens Scandal Italian Banks Want to Forget
14 march 2019
(bloomberg.com) - In 2014, Massimo Balestra received a call from an employee at his bank, offering a risk-free investment “as secure as a wall safe.” The resident of a small northern Italian town ended up spending 6,945 euros ($7,876) on a diamond that he says he hasn’t seen since. Balestra is one of almost 100,000 Italians who bought so called “investment diamonds” at the urging of their banks in a widespread arrangement that’s now the target of a criminal investigation by the country’s financial police, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Investigators allege that Italy’s biggest banks hooked up their clients with diamond brokers who sold them stones for as much as double their market price.
A Polar Vortex?
13 march 2019
(polishedprices.com) - The impact of the Lightbox moment is that the bottom has fallen out of the lower end of natural. Or as De Beers like to refer to it in their press release on the January Sight “the slow movement of lower value rough diamonds through the pipeline.”
Diamonds: investor’s best friend?
12 march 2019
(timesofmalta.com) - Family valuables are rarely a Cullinan, or a Kohinoor. Yet after years of sub-optimal investment returns the idea of diamonds as an ‘alternative investment’ is now increasingly propagated. The prices of gem diamonds were hardly dented by the recent financial crisis and have shown little correlation to other asset classes.
Low value diamond market hanging on for inevitable demise of Rio’s Argyle mine
11 march 2019
(miningmx.com) - Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but they have done few favours for investors over the past few years. Right now, the diamond equity market is reminiscent of that famous description of an Elizabethan drama: “The stage is strewn with rushes in the first act and corpses in the fifth”.
Has the DNA of Retailing Been Compromised?
07 march 2019
(therobinreport.com) - If you think brick-and-mortar stores are in turmoil because of the internet, you would be wrong. The recent closing of Lord & Taylor’s iconic Fifth Avenue store was not preordained by the impact of e-commerce. The real problem was its ownership. The real-estate investment powerhouse owners had little understanding of the retail industry – in particular what it takes to implement an executive structure to build a profitable retail business. This is surprising since the investors own other well-established international retail brands that are doing well. In my opinion, their strategy is to purchase retail stores for their real estate locations and the ultimate real estate value of each site. Retailing is just a sideline business. Thanks to 40-plus years of a successful and privileged retail career, I’ve been fortunate to have worked alongside some of the most amazing merchants and retailers who have built the industry’s impressive reputation. I can state with total confidence that a compromise in the industry’s DNA is precisely what has taken place.
