Russia's rough diamond exports raised almost four-fold to 30.6 million carats year on year in the first 9 months of 2010 and amounted to $2.16 billion, reports Itar-Tass.
Rough diamond imports fell by more than 200 percent to 52,600 carats generating $51.1 million during the nine month period, statistics from Russia's Finance Ministry revealed.
ALROSA produces 97 percent of Russia's diamonds and the company reported that production rose 5 percent to 34.4 million carats during the full year 2010.
Separately, Russia's finance minister Alexei Kudrin said that the government is considering opening a diamond exchange but stressed that it was important to ascertain whether a market to assure the exchange's liquidity exists before a final decision is made.
"As of now I doubt there are enough reasons for it and we continue to consider the question," he said.
By WorldBlizz, 2/20/2011
Russia’s Rough Diamond Exports Increase 30.6 million carats in 2010
Russia's rough diamond exports raised almost four-fold to 30.6 million carats year on year in the f...
The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office assigned a patented process to Element Six for a "thick single crystal diamond layer method for making it and gemstones produced from the layer".
According to the abstract, the patent refers to: A layer of single crystal CVD diamond of high quality having a thickness greater than 2 mm. Also provided is a method of producing such a CVD diamond layer.
The patent was filed on March 5, 2007, and issued February 15, 2011, with the patent number 7,887,628.
The patented process named several inventors from the U.K. Inventors listed included Geoffrey Alan Scarsbrook of Ascot, Philip Maurice Martineau of Littlewick Green, Barbel Susanne Charlotte Dorn of Bracknell, Michael Andrew Cooper of Wokingham, John Lloyd Collins of London, Andrew John Whitehead of Surrey, Daniel James Twitchen of Sunningdale, and Ricardo Simon Sussman of Reading.
By WorldBlizz, 2/18/2011
U.S. Patent Assigns a Patent for Element Six
The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office assigned a patented process to Element Six for a "thick single ...
Samuels Diamonds launched a new e-commerce website, which allows customers to more easily navigate all brands and types of jewelry through a straightforward interface.
The new website also features tighter security measures to protect customer information. Additional features now include a product knowledge database, which was designed to offer quick responses to customer inquiries, a downloadable ring sizer, a click-to-buy product catalog, and educational content for the company's "Vow to Wow" loose diamond buying program.
“We decided to revamp our entire website so that our customers have the best shopping experience possible. We want our e-commerce store to have the informative personal touch that our customers currently receive in all of our brick and mortar stores,” said Dave Dell'Aglio of the company.
“The launch of our new website coincides with our new social media initiative through Facebook, Twitter, and blogs even further enhancing the customer experience at Samuels Diamonds.”
By WorldBlizz, 2/18/2011
Samuels Diamonds Launches New Website and Adds New Features
Samuels Diamonds launched a new e-commerce website, which allows customers to more easily navigate ...
The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) called on its members to heed warnings issued by the KP Chair earlier this week on the possible re-emergence of conflict diamonds from the Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
The WFDB asked its affiliated bourses to advise their members of the KP letter and assure that its contents are posted—accompanied by a translation in the various local languages—on the bourses' notice boards and websites.
Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPSC) chairman Mathieu Yamba, in a letter to member states and distributed by WFDB, called ongoing unrest in Côte d'Ivoire of great concern to the diamond industry since rough diamonds from Cote d'Ivoire are reportedly being exported despite the global ban.
Since early December, Côte d'Ivoire has experienced renewed political and civil unrest following the runoff election between its former President Laurent Gbagbo and President-elect Alassane Ouattara. The U.N. has been taking steps to restore order in the war-torn country as Gbagbo refuses to concede the election. The U.N. operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) meanwhile has been protecting civilians and guarding the Golf Hotel, where President-elect Ouattara and his government are based.
The WFDB's notice followed a message from WFDB president Avi Paz sent earlier this year, calling on the WFDB member bourses to convene members' meetings to discuss how to protect the reputation of the WFDB-affiliated diamond bourses and their members.
By WorldBlizz, 2/18/2011
WFDB Warns Members About Ivory Coast Conflict
The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) called on its members to heed warnings issued by the...
Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers in Marquette, Michigan, has given a signature piece of jewelry to U.S. president, Barack Obama, when visited the state.
The store was selected by the city of Marquette to give Obama a pendant shaped like Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
“We have lapel pins, pendants, earrings with the outline of the U.P. But the pendant is our most popular piece,” said public affairs and marketing director Faye Nesbitt Elder to JCK.
The pendant varies in style and can be custom-made. Second-generation owner Chris Wattsson custom-designed the pendant with a white diamond marking the location of Marquette. “It was gifted to Obama on Air Force One on February 10,” Elder says.
The presentation included a handwritten note with the history of the company.
Elder says because Obama wears only the American flag on his lapel, the jeweler opted to give the president a pendant. The president then gave the pendant to First Lady Michelle Obama.
“According to the Obama administration, at the end of Obama’s term, the piece will go to the Smithsonian,” she says.
The store’s founder, the late Ron Wattsson, created the pendant in 1985. Elder says there has been a surge in sales following the donation to the president. “Residents of the U.P. want something similar to what Obama has or they want a custom piece.”
President Obama left Michigan on February 10.
By WorldBlizz, 2/17/2011
Michigan Jewelers Give Barack Obama a Signature Pendant
Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers in Marquette, Michigan, has given a signature piece of jewelry to U.S....
EGL Asia teamed up with NGGC, the state-owned Chinese diamond grading laboratory, for expanding their current cooperation and start issuing identification reports for colored gemstones, in particular for emeralds, rubies and sapphires.
Customers who wish to receive a colored gemstone identification report from both organizations can do so by paying only for the EGL Asia certificate.
In a statement, Joseph Kuzi, EGL Asia's CEO, said “In Asia, and in particular in greater China, consumer demand for better quality colored gemstones is very much on the rise.”
“Our joint decision to expand our labs' identification and grading services to colored gemstones comes in response to the increased market demand.”
“The current expansion to full colored gemstone services is a logical step toward our labs' expanding range of services,” NGGC director Xie Qi Yao said in a statement. “While we expect that the majority of colored gemstones submitted for identification will be one of the big three, we will gladly accept other gemstones as well.”
By WorldBlizz, 2/17/2011
EGL Asia and NGGC Offer Colored Gemstone Reports
EGL Asia teamed up with NGGC, the state-owned Chinese diamond grading laboratory, for expanding the...
Rapaport will head to Baselworld for the annual conference. Martin Rapaport, chairman of the Rapaport Group, will give a special presentation, entitled “How to Make Money in the Diamond Business”.
Taking place on March 25, the presentation will take place at 9 a.m.–10:30 a.m. in the Montreal Hall at the Basel Congress Center, Basel, Switzerland.
The Annual Rapaport Fair Trade Jewelry Conference will follow at 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in the same venue.
The conference will discuss how suppliers and retailers can participate in the growing market for fair trade jewelry, as well as how fair trade can be made economically viable.
The conference is free and open to all. RSVP to basel@rapaport.com. Further information, visit Diamonds.net/events.
By WorldBlizz, 2/16/2011
RAPAPORT Annual Conference to Take Place at Baselworld
Rapaport will head to Baselworld for the annual conference. Martin Rapaport, chairman of the Rapapo...
CIBJO's Gemmological Commission has released its special report ahead of the 2011 CIBJO Congress next month in Portugal.
As previously reported, the congress will take place at the Hotel Palácio do Freixo in Porto, from March 14 to 16.
at the CIBJO Congress, the Gemmological Commission will examine the need for setting an international gemology standard. It will also look at how CIBJO annd especially the Gemmological Commission, will respond to and communicate regarding nomenclature matters with companies, educational and academic institutions, consumers, and consumer organizations.
The report also mentions the CIBJO Gemmological Forum, where participants can hold online discussions on topics raised at the CIBJO Congress, as well as other relevant issues. At the meetings, the commission will request that its officers and other interested parties begin using the forum.
To download the full report, click here. For more information about the CIBJO Congress 2011, visit Congress2011.cibjo.org.
By WorldBlizz, 2/16/2011
CIBJO Gemological Commission Issues Special Report
CIBJO's Gemmological Commission has released its special report ahead of the 2011 CIBJO Congress ne...
BHP Billiton have sold a 78 carat diamond for $6.1 million, or 78,205.13 per carat.
The rough diamond, which found from EKATI Diamond Mine in Canada, was sold at auction in Antwerp, Belgium, on Monday (February 14).
BHP Billiton owns 80 percent of the Ekati mine.
Prior to the auction, the company, said the stone was potentially the most valuable in the mine’s history.
By WorldBlizz, 2/16/2011
BHP Billiton Sold 78 carat EKATI Diamond for $6.1 million
BHP Billiton have sold a 78 carat diamond for $6.1 million, or 78,205.13 per carat. The rough dia...
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will host its alumni association's Africa chapter in Botswana on February 21.
Lecture called “Updates on Synthetic Diamonds and Treatments”, Thomas M. Moses, senior vice president of GIA's laboratory and research, will present at the Grand Palm Hotel in Gaborone that evening.
The presentation will feature information on the latest developments in treated and synthetic diamonds, including high pressure/high temperature (HPHT) and irradiated diamonds, and new developments in synthetics grown by HPHT and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods.
Moses’ lecture is a free event that will begin at 6 pm Due to limited seating, please RSVP by February 18 to either Kago Mmopi, president of GIA's Africa chapter at kago786-at-gmail.com or Elizabeth Bokaba at ebokaba-at-gia.edu.
By WorldBlizz, 2/15/2011
GIA to Host ‘Updates on Synthetic Diamonds and Treatments’ in Botswana
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will host its alumni association's Africa chapter in Bot...Deal Of The Day
