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.
16 october 2026
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.
16 october 2026
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.
16 october 2026
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.
16 october 2026
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...
16 october 2026
Diamonds Bring New Life to War-Torn Central African Republic
14 august 2017
(bloomberg.com) - Rough diamonds enabled Abdoul Raouf to marry three women and put his nine children through school. Now that his town in western Central African Republic can legally export the gems to world markets again, his neighbors are expecting similar fortunes. The government estimates that at least 20 percent of the population in the west, or about 60,000 people, earn an income from diamond mining. It’s not unusual to see children skip school to accompany their parents and help them sift gravel to search for the gems.
Rough Supply Up, Polished Sales Down, and Stockpiles Created
11 august 2017
(ehudlaniado.com) - It was only a week ago when we discussed the disconnect between rough and polished diamonds, and it seems that the divide is only growing. Last week, I noted that De Beers’ rough diamond sales increased during the first half of 2017. My point was that rough diamond supply increased, while polished prices and demand declined.
De Beers reported that their diamond production in the second quarter of the year totaled 8.7 million carats, a 36% year-over-year increase. My research firm Mercury Diamond reported two weeks prior that the Mercury Diamond Global Tracker™ (MDGT™), an index of polished diamond prices, declined 0.6% year-over-year in June 2017. It was the 31st consecutive month of decline, a period of more than two and a half years of continuous eroding value. The disconnect, however, is less related to changing prices, and more to demand: if there is demand, the supply makes sense.
Last Tuesday, De Beers announced the results of its sixth cycle rough diamond sales. According to the press release, it sold $572 million worth of rough diamonds during the cycle though all of its different channels. This is $31 million more than the $541 million worth of rough diamonds it sold during the previous cycle, and $44 million more than the $528 million worth of rough diamonds it sold during the sixth cycle of last year. So, not only did rough diamond sales increase during the first half of 2017, but the trend of increased sales is continuing into the third quarter as well.
Last week ALROSA introduced a unique collection of diamonds named ‘The Dynasty’ manufactured at its cutting and polishing facilities
10 august 2017
The media preview of The Dynasty collection was held at the Moscow Four Seasons Hotel located near the walls girdling the Kremlin. All the five top quality diamonds in The Dynasty collection were manufactured by the cutters and polishes of Brillianty ALROSA, a cutting and polishing division of ALROSA Group, from a 179-carat rough diamond recovered from the Nyurbinskaya kimberlite pipe in Yakutia in 2015.
OVERVIEW: The tangle of problems at Mir
09 august 2017
The accident that occurred on August 4, 2017 in the mine not only disabled one of the main production facilities of ALROSA (MOEX: ALRS) for an unpredictable period, but also put the diamond miner's management in front of a tangle of problems. After the rescue operation is completed, it is not enough just to pump the water out of the mine and repair the equipment, experts say – there should be guarantees that the disaster will not happen again. And not only at Mir, but also at other underground mines (the company has three more accounting for over 30% of carat production, and this share will grow).
KP: Production Value Plunges, China Caves, and Manufacturers Focus
09 august 2017
(edahngolan.com) - A look at the recently released Kimberley Process (KP) figures for 2016 reveals several interesting trends affecting the global diamond industry. First is that the top five producing countries have lost some of their market share, fewer rough diamonds are going through China, and yet this is still a very concentrated industry from a country perspective. In some areas, it is even more consolidated than before. Overall, the KP reports that production in 2016 totaled 134 million carats, a 5.2% year-over-year increase. Although the value of this production is reported at $12.4 billion, a 10.7% year-over-year fall, the result is that the average value of production plunged 15.1% to $92.49 per carat. This contrasting movement of volume and value is not a good outcome for diamond miners; however, it is a movement in the right direction as far as manufacturers are concerned. Diamond polishers in general would like to have more rough at a lower cost. The downside is that they don’t really need all these goods, to which their rising inventories can attest.
