In this blog, we’ve included Diamond World news and happenings, as well as some incredibly interesting articles from trusted industry experts. As the US and China recover from Covid, expect diamond prices to continue increasing while demand continues to outpace availability, particularly in the high-end diamond market.
Argyle Pink Breaks Records at Public Tender
A rare 2-carat Argyle diamond fetched AUD 2.2 million ($1.6 million) at the first public tender of pinks originating from the mine, setting an Australian record. The seller was renowned Australian collector Di Fitzpatrick, who originally acquired the diamond in 1988. The buyer, who remains anonymous, paid double the previous record for any diamond, precious gemstone or piece of jewelry at an Australian auction or public tender, noted Yourdiamonds.com, an Australia-based financial technology startup.
8 Things to Know Before Buying a Fancy Color Diamond
The Do’s and Don’ts of buying Fancy Color diamonds, written by the Fancy Color Research Foundation’s (FCRF) team.
Podcast: What Diamond Banks Want
The diamond-financing landscape has changed dramatically since 2012, when Erik Jens entered the industry as head of ABN Amro’s jewelry and gem unit. Those developments have paralleled a shift in mindset among diamantaires, who are now more focused on profit than revenue, where the emphasis used to lie. In episode 45 of the Rapaport Diamond Podcast, Rapaport's Avi Krawitz discusses with Jens how the industry made that move, and alludes to new trends that are shaping the lending environment, such as fintech and sustainability.
Christie’s and Sotheby’s Are Now Accepting Cryptocurrency for Big-Ticket Items
Sotheby’s announced that it will accept Ether or Bitcoin for its upcoming sale of a 101.38-carat, pear-shaped D color flawless diamond. Calling it “a truly symbolic moment,” Sotheby’s deputy chairman of jewelry in Asia, Wenhao Yu, remarked: “The most ancient and emblematic denominator of value can now, for the first time, be purchased using humanity’s newest universal currency. Never was there a better moment to bring a world-class diamond such as this to the market.”
Christie’s Paris Auction Yields $8M
Christie’s garnered $8.2 million from its Paris Jewels sale, with a necklace by Jean Fouquet setting a world auction record for a piece by the designer. Diamonds also performed well at the sale. A cushion-cut, 17.47-carat, F-color, VS1-clarity diamond ring by Monture Boucheron brought in EUR 680,000 ($809,468), or $46,335 per carat, well over its high estimate. A circular-cut, 7.38-carat, G-color, internally flawless diamond pendant fetched EUR 200,000 ($238,079), or $32,260 per carat, beating its valuation. Other notable items included a diamond necklace containing a total of 40 to 45 carats of circular-cut, old-cut and baguette-cut diamonds. The piece, which transforms into a bracelet, exceeded its high estimate, selling for EUR 162,500 ($193,010). Meanwhile, an Art Nouveau dragonfly brooch by René Lalique fetched EUR 175,000 ($208,010), three-and-a-half times its upper valuation.
Big Money Diamonds: Think Pink
The Canadian miner Lucara this week said it was "pleased" to announce the recovery of a 62.7-carat fancy pink diamond at Karaowe, in Botswana*. I think that's possibly an under-statement. "Ecstatic" would probably be nearer the mark. Pink diamonds are fantastically rare. Even the smallest stones are highly prized. So to unearth a monster like this is an extremely big deal. To put it into some sort of perspective, Rio Tinto's iconic Argyle mine, in Australia, produced 90 per cent of the world's pink diamond until it closed last year. But an entire year's worth of Argyle pinks over half a carat would fit in the palm of your hand. At the mine's penultimate tender last December there were 62 pink, red and violet diamonds. Among them 21 weighed over one carat. During the mine's lifetime pink diamonds accounted for just 0.13 per cent of its production by carat. The largest pink ever recovered there was the Pink Jubilee, a light pink stone weighing 12.76 rough carats rough. It yielded only 8.01 polished carats after the discovery, during cutting, of a major internal fault line that couldn't be overcome. So Lucara's new stone is almost five times the size of the biggest rough pink diamond ever recovered at the world's biggest pink diamond mine, in 38 years of operation. But it's not the biggest ever, and probably not the most expensive. Here are some highlights, in ascending order of polished size, of some of the greatest pinks.
Ellendale Owner Discovers Hidden Yellow Diamonds
A newly discovered pipe at the Ellendale mine may contain “millions” of fancy-yellow and other gem-quality diamonds, according to the company that owns that part of the site. India Bore Diamond Holdings (IBDH) has identified a buried drainage system at the Australian mine that is full of rough diamonds, it said Wednesday. The stones had washed into it when nearby diamond-containing rock eroded. The company has already unearthed gem-quality goods in grades of up to 12.7 carats for every 100 tonnes of ore from part of the pipe, it added.
Fancy Color Diamond Prices Rise in Q1
The Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF) announced today the Fancy Color Diamond Index results for Q1 2021. Prices of Fancy Color diamonds increased by 0.3% during Q1 2021 with Blues (0.5%) and Pinks (0.4%) marking the direction. Following a challenging year, the first quarter of 2021 proved that Fancy Color Diamond prices are resilient and on the rise across the board as things in the USA slowly go back to normal. In Q1 2021, Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid segments both presented an increase of 0.4% in comparison to a slight decrease of 0.2% in the Fancy segment. The noticeable decrease this past quarter was in the Fancy 2 carats category (-1.1%). Conversely, the Fancy Intense 2 carats category presented the highest climb of 2.6% in Q1 2021, followed by the Fancy Intense 3 carats segment increasing by 1.9%
Brilliant, Marquise or Even Pear. What’s Your Favorite Diamond Cut?
Diamond cutters do a lot more than just create the shape of a diamond, making it round or oval, square or rectangular, even a pear shape. Their work determines the amount of brilliance and fire — technical terms in the trade — that the gemstone produces. And those qualities have changed throughout history as tastes shifted and technology improved. “The pearl is the only gem that doesn’t require human intervention,” said Alessandro Borruso, deputy director of Sotheby’s Diamonds Europe.
Alrosa Sales Jump to Pre-Coronavirus Levels
Alrosa’s second-quarter diamond revenues exceeded pre-pandemic levels as strong demand and limited supply supported the market. Rough and polished sales increased to $1.18 billion for the period ending June 30, compared with $87 million a year earlier, the Russian miner reported Friday. The figure was 46% higher than in the same quarter of 2019.
Botswana Diamond Could Be World's Third Largest
A diamond believed to be the third largest ever found has been put on display in Botswana. The stone - weighing 1,098 carats - was shown to President Mokgweetsi Masisi, two weeks after the diamond firm, Debswana, unearthed it. The huge gem is only slightly less heavy than the world's second-largest diamond which was also found in Botswana in 2015. Botswana is Africa's largest producer of diamonds. "This is the largest diamond to be recovered by Debswana in its history of over 50 years in operation," said Lynette Armstrong, Debswana Diamond Company's acting managing director.
Lucara Filled with ‘Joy’ at Recovery of 63ct. Pink
Lucara Diamond Corp. has unearthed four fancy-pink diamonds from its Karowe mine in Botswana, the largest of which weighs a whopping 62.7 carats. The type IIa diamond, which the miner named Boitumelo — meaning “joy” in the local Setswana language — came from the high-value EM/PK(S) portion of Karowe’s south lobe, Lucara said Tuesday. Boitumelo is the largest fancy-pink diamond to be recovered in Botswana and one of the largest rough pink diamonds in the world, the company said. Along with the 62.7-carat stone, Lucara discovered three other high-quality pinks weighing 22.21, 11.17 and 5.05 carats.
Petra Sells Blue Diamond to De Beers for $40M
De Beers has made its second big-money rough purchase from Petra Diamonds in less than a year, snapping up a 39.34-carat, blue stone for more than $40 million. The mining giant partnered with manufacturer Diacore to buy the type IIb diamond, which Petra unearthed at its Cullinan mine in South Africa in April. The final price was $40.2 million, or just over $1 million per carat, payable in cash prior to the stone’s delivery.
Please email FCD Invest at info@fcdinvest.diamonds to discuss your personalized long-term investment strategy. For more information on Fancy Colored Diamonds as an investment, please visit our Fancy Colored Diamond informational page linked here.
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