Type of ice found trapped in a diamond new to science

Ice VII inclusions found within diamonds is evidence for aqueous fluid in deep in Earth’s mantle.

The inclusions a high pressure form of water called ice VII present in diamonds sourced from between 410 and 660 km depth, the part of the mantle known as the transition zone.
The transition zone is a region where the stable minerals have high water storage capacity.

The inclusions suggest that local aqueous pockets form at the transition zone boundary owing to the release of chemically bound water as rock cycles in and out of this region.

Ice VII is about one and a half times more dense than regular ice but unlike the other phases of ice  ice VII remains fairly stable even as the pressure increases.

Source: DCLA

Type of ice found trapped in a diamond new to science

Ice VII inclusions found within diamonds is evidence for aqueous fluid in deep in Earth’s mantle.

The inclusions a high pressure form of water called ice VII present in diamonds sourced from between 410 and 660 km depth, the part of the mantle known as the transition zone.
The transition zone is a region where the stable minerals have high water storage capacity.

The inclusions suggest that local aqueous pockets form at the transition zone boundary owing to the release of chemically bound water as rock cycles in and out of this region.

Ice VII is about one and a half times more dense than regular ice but unlike the other phases of ice  ice VII remains fairly stable even as the pressure increases.

Source: DCLA

Gem Diamonds sixth large rough diamond for this year

Gem Diamonds at an elevation of 3,100 meters above sea level, The Letšeng Diamond mine is one of the world’s highest diamond mines.

The Letšeng Diamond Mine is having an extraordinary year this far as the miner continues to recover rough diamonds larger than 100 carats at its mine in Lesotho.

On Wednesday, the company announced it had recovered a 152 carat  D colour type IIa diamond, the sixth exceptional large rough diamond so far this year.

Source: DCLA 

Gem Diamonds sixth large rough diamond for this year

Gem Diamonds at an elevation of 3,100 meters above sea level, The Letšeng Diamond mine is one of the world’s highest diamond mines.

The Letšeng Diamond Mine is having an extraordinary year this far as the miner continues to recover rough diamonds larger than 100 carats at its mine in Lesotho.

On Wednesday, the company announced it had recovered a 152 carat  D colour type IIa diamond, the sixth exceptional large rough diamond so far this year.

Source: DCLA 

Firestar Chief Speaks Out on Modi Crisis

Firestar Diamond and its affiliates, following their bankruptcy filing in the wake of fraud allegations against their ultimate owner Nirav Modi, have reported significant interest from companies looking to buy their operations.

The three jewelers — Firestar, A. Jaffe and Fantasy — are seeking an infusion of capital or a sale, and intend to continue business as normal in the meantime, their president, Mihir Bhansali, said in a court filing last week.

The companies have suffered a significant impact to their supply chains since accusations against Modi emerged last month.

The trio’s Chapter 11 process will “add a sense of order,” alleviate some of the concerns that its suppliers and clients have showed, and create a forum for potential purchasers of the businesses, Bhansali explained.

“Early expressions of interest in purchasing some of or all of the debtors’ business operations have been strong,” the executive said in the February 28 filing. “The debtors intend to act quickly and efficiently to determine which of the available restructuring options is in the best interests of the estates, and to preserve the…value of the debtors’ substantial business operations.”

Firestar and Fantasy are in talks with their banks about providing the liquidity the companies need to sustain their operations until they reach a sale, Bhansali continued.

A. Jaffe, which has no secured lenders — a term for those who get paid before other creditors — is also in discussions with suppliers and potential financing sources.

Source: DCLA

Firestar Chief Speaks Out on Modi Crisis

Firestar Diamond and its affiliates, following their bankruptcy filing in the wake of fraud allegations against their ultimate owner Nirav Modi, have reported significant interest from companies looking to buy their operations.

The three jewelers — Firestar, A. Jaffe and Fantasy — are seeking an infusion of capital or a sale, and intend to continue business as normal in the meantime, their president, Mihir Bhansali, said in a court filing last week.

The companies have suffered a significant impact to their supply chains since accusations against Modi emerged last month.

The trio’s Chapter 11 process will “add a sense of order,” alleviate some of the concerns that its suppliers and clients have showed, and create a forum for potential purchasers of the businesses, Bhansali explained.

“Early expressions of interest in purchasing some of or all of the debtors’ business operations have been strong,” the executive said in the February 28 filing. “The debtors intend to act quickly and efficiently to determine which of the available restructuring options is in the best interests of the estates, and to preserve the…value of the debtors’ substantial business operations.”

Firestar and Fantasy are in talks with their banks about providing the liquidity the companies need to sustain their operations until they reach a sale, Bhansali continued.

A. Jaffe, which has no secured lenders — a term for those who get paid before other creditors — is also in discussions with suppliers and potential financing sources.

Source: DCLA

Israel Gives $284M Boost to Diamond Trade

The Israeli government has pledged $284 million (NIS 1 billion) to guarantee bank loans to diamond companies in an effort to ease the trade’s severe credit difficulties.

A lack of credit is stifling growth, especially among the smaller firms that constitute about 70% of the Israeli trade, according to a special committee set up to investigate the sector’s challenges.

The team — led by Naama Kaufman-Pass, deputy director-general of the nation’s Ministry of Economy and Industry — released its findings earlier this month, highlighting several ways in which the industry had hit a crisis.

Banks’ perception of the diamond sector as high-risk has led to a decline in total lending to the Israeli trade from $2.5 billion in 2008 to about $1 billion last year, the committee said in its report. Financial institutions are also refusing to accept dealers’ inventory as collateral, while competition from India and Belgium has added further damage to Israel’s market position.

To this end, the government fund will back companies’ borrowing, meaning that if they fail to repay a loan to a bank, the state will pay. While the committee submitted the policy to Eli Cohen, minister of industry and economy, as a recommendation, the lawmaker said the government was set to go ahead with the program.

“We have decided to allocate another billion shekels over the next five years to the diamond sector through credit guarantees,” Cohen told an audience at the International Diamond Week in Israel last week.

In addition, the committee suggested the government provide money for the bourse’s newly launched innovation laboratory, put cash into bringing more diamond buyers to Israel, support efforts to develop e-commerce opportunities, and contribute to other projects to boost the industry.
“The committee identified the main hurdles in small businesses’ activities in the sector, and its recommendations offer a comprehensive response to its needs,” Kaufman-Pass said.

The diamond trade is an important segment of the Israeli economy, representing about 13% of total exports, and employing about 9,500 people, according to the report. However, the 2008 global financial crash led to a 27% slump in Israel’s polished-diamond exports between that year and 2016, with the Chinese market slump in 2015 also denting demand.

“Implementing the committee’s conclusions, alongside other steps, is essential, considering the crisis the sector has been through,” Cohen added in a statement. “Their purpose is to provide new tools to help deal with challenges in the trade and to ease regulation, thereby growing both production and exports.”

Shay Rinsky, director-general of the Ministry of Economy and Industry, set up the committee in September to delve into issues of credit and growth in the diamond trade and examine how to bring the industry forward.

Source: diamonds.net