News
Lundin achieves record quarterly gold output at its flagship Ecuador mine
Vancouver-based Lundin Gold has reported that in the third quarter of 2026, gold production at its Fruta del Norte mine in southeast Ecuador hit a new quarterly record.
Today
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
Can India Tap its Diamond Jewelry Potential?
02 september 2016
(diamonds.net) - The India International Jewellery Show (IIJS), which took place in Mumbai, reflected a cautious local diamond and jewelry trade, even if sentiment was better than expected. Suppliers arrived with low expectations as a month-long strike among jewelry retailers, high gold prices, domestic and global uncertainty, and sluggish polished diamond demand had taken their toll. IIJS remains an important indicator of India’s gold jewelry market. It’s less of an event for diamantaires as they rely more on exports than local sales. However, even if they don’t see it as a significant selling opportunity, the country’s many large diamond suppliers do use the show as a marketing and branding exercise.
Diamonds, Not Mined Diamonds! Why We Have to Stop Calling Lab-Grown Products ‘Diamonds’
01 september 2016
(ehudlaniado.com) - The term ‘mined diamonds’ is slowly entering mainstream language in the press and elsewhere, and I find it troubling. We need a clear differentiation between natural diamonds and lab-grown goods, and it needs to be far more distinct than mined vs. lab-grown. Natural diamonds were always diamonds. They were formed billions of years ago and were mined after huge sums of money were put into exploration. Comparing these ancient, historic, difficult-to-find wonders of nature, to a simple, mass-produced product that was invented only recently and pounded out of a factory puts both on the same playing field – does not make sense. They do not have the same starting point in any which way you examine them. That is why we should not use the word ‘diamond’ in connection with lab-grown goods. ‘Diamond’ should be used exclusively for diamonds. Even the Bible refers to these natural wonders as diamonds. Using the term ‘diamond’ for a lab-grown product downgrades diamonds. There is no need for a modifier when using the term ‘diamonds’. Everybody knows what you mean when you use the word as-is.
Diamond Production Down, Sales Volume Up
31 august 2016
(paulzimnisky.com) - The global economy performed better than most expected in the first-half of 2016, as the world's largest diamond jewelry market, the U.S., held back on further rate hikes, and policy in China, the world's fastest growing diamond jewelry market, promoted credit creation. In the U.S. and China in particular, service sector growth trends have outpaced manufacturing, which typically suits consumer demand for luxury discretionary commodities like diamonds, more so than industrial/construction commodities, like base metals and energy. This trend was congruent with De Beer’s parent Anglo American’s most recent operational update released on July 28th which showed that in 1H 2016 diamonds represented 42.3% of Anglo’s EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) versus 30.6% over the same period last year. Russia-based Alrosa’s (RTS: ALRS) production decreased 6.0% in 1H 2016 over 1H 2015, but the company’s sales volume increased 20.6% in the period, consistent with the directional trends in De Beers’ figures. Alrosa’s average price per carat sold in the period decreased 2.3% to $115/ct.
Drilling For Diamonds: High Risk, High Reward
30 august 2016
(ehudlaniado.com) - After considering the techniques that diamond exploration companies use to identify kimberlite pipes, we know that while technology and know-how have improved steadily, it is still true that only about 1% of kimberlite pipes will eventually yield an economically-viable diamond deposit. Finding a kimberlite field is by no means a guarantee of success, and a lengthy and expensive process of testing and drilling must be undertaken to test the viability of a pipe once it is discovered. In simple terms, exploration companies take a series of samples from a kimberlite target, with each one getting gradually larger and more expensive. Each type of test is designed to assess different variables, depending on the stage of exploration. Since sampling is expensive, companies often have to raise additional financing before continuing on to the next phase of testing, and the previous results must be positive to ensure that they can raise sufficient capital to continue. It is important to remember that very few companies ever reach the stage of a feasibility study, and many go bankrupt in earlier stages of testing. The major producers have been reducing their exploration expenditure for years, so diamond exploration is a high-risk, high-reward venture not for the faint-of-heart.
Why is Diamond Profitability Paper Thin?
29 august 2016
(ehudlaniado.com) - Examine the diamond sector – especially the midstream where most of the skilled activity takes place – and you will find a sector with very narrow margins and near zero profitability. This state of affairs keeps the industry constantly on the verge of bankruptcy. How did things get to where they are now? How is it possible that an industry that manufactures luxury products is operating as though it provides low cost, price-point driven items? Why is the manufacturing sector of the diamond jewelry industry always looking for ways to further cut expenses, such as by seeking lower labor costs, lower taxation agreements, lower tariffs, free trade zones and reduced overheads? How did this happen to an industry that produces luxury items and caters to upper middle-class clientele who have set aside money for expenditures? Will a 5% price difference really determine if a diamond is sold? Will cutting already low labor costs by a few percentage points really make diamonds more attractive? Or, looking at it from a more positive angle, would paying a few more percentage points to laborers, a little more on taxes, and slightly raising the prices of diamonds to consumers, really make diamonds unsellable? Does this mean that it is impossible to polish diamonds in countries across the globe where wages and taxation are applied evenly across business sectors? How can this possibly be the case for a luxury item like diamonds?
