Date set for Mugabe diamonds hearing

A Zimbabwe parliament committee has summoned former president Robert Mugabe to give evidence on Wednesday about diamond corruption alleged to have cost billions of dollars during his rule.

Mugabe, who was ousted from office in November after a brief military takeover, has not commented on whether he will appear before the committee.

A parliamentary notice for May 23 was released on Monday.

“Subject to confirmation, oral evidence from His Excellency, the former president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, comrade RG Mugabe, on diamond mining revenues,” it read.

Mugabe, 94, who is in frail health, was also called to give evidence last month but the meeting was postponed.
Lawmakers plan to question Mugabe over his 2016 claim that the country had lost $15 billion in revenue due to corruption and foreign exploitation in the diamond sector.

No one in Mugabe’s office was available to confirm whether he would appear.

The former president, whose own regime was accused of syphoning off diamond profits, has described his ousting as a coup.

He has not been seen in public since November, though he hosted a private birthday party in February at “Blue Roof” – the lavish mansion where he and his wife Grace, 52, have been living in apparent seclusion in recent months.

Mugabe was replaced by his former deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa, a veteran loyalist in the ruling ZANU-PF party who was backed by senior military officers.

Zimbabwe discovered alluvial diamonds in Chiadzwa, in the east of the country, over 10 years ago.

Rights groups have accused security forces of using brutal methods to control the scattered deposits.

The parliament committee, headed by independent MP Temba Mliswa, has already interviewed former ministers, police and intelligence chiefs on mining at Chiadzwa.

Zimbabwe is due to hold elections in July or August, the first since Mugabe was unseated, with the Zanu-PF widely predicted to retain power.

AFP

Date set for Mugabe diamonds hearing

A Zimbabwe parliament committee has summoned former president Robert Mugabe to give evidence on Wednesday about diamond corruption alleged to have cost billions of dollars during his rule.

Mugabe, who was ousted from office in November after a brief military takeover, has not commented on whether he will appear before the committee.

A parliamentary notice for May 23 was released on Monday.

“Subject to confirmation, oral evidence from His Excellency, the former president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, comrade RG Mugabe, on diamond mining revenues,” it read.

Mugabe, 94, who is in frail health, was also called to give evidence last month but the meeting was postponed.
Lawmakers plan to question Mugabe over his 2016 claim that the country had lost $15 billion in revenue due to corruption and foreign exploitation in the diamond sector.

No one in Mugabe’s office was available to confirm whether he would appear.

The former president, whose own regime was accused of syphoning off diamond profits, has described his ousting as a coup.

He has not been seen in public since November, though he hosted a private birthday party in February at “Blue Roof” – the lavish mansion where he and his wife Grace, 52, have been living in apparent seclusion in recent months.

Mugabe was replaced by his former deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa, a veteran loyalist in the ruling ZANU-PF party who was backed by senior military officers.

Zimbabwe discovered alluvial diamonds in Chiadzwa, in the east of the country, over 10 years ago.

Rights groups have accused security forces of using brutal methods to control the scattered deposits.

The parliament committee, headed by independent MP Temba Mliswa, has already interviewed former ministers, police and intelligence chiefs on mining at Chiadzwa.

Zimbabwe is due to hold elections in July or August, the first since Mugabe was unseated, with the Zanu-PF widely predicted to retain power.

AFP

Meghan Markle Accessorizes Her Wedding Dress with Cartier Diamonds

Meghan Markle’s engagement ring may be the pièce de résistance of her royal wedding jewelry but the rest of her accessories require notice.

The diamond bandeau tiara, made from diamonds and platinum, was made in 1932, with the centre brooch dating back to 1893.

The bandeau is formed as a flexible band of eleven sections, pierced with interlaced ovals and pavé set with large and small brilliant diamonds. The centre is set with a detachable brooch of 10 brilliant diamonds.

To complement her beautiful tiara, Markle kept the rest of her jewelry simple, opting for a pair of diamond stud earrings and a stunning bracelet.

No necklace here the Duchess kept the boatneck of her wedding gown clean and modern.

Markle is also wearing Galanterie de Cartier earrings  and Reflection de Cartier bracelet made by French jeweller Cartier.

Source: DCLA

Meghan Markle Accessorizes Her Wedding Dress with Cartier Diamonds

Meghan Markle’s engagement ring may be the pièce de résistance of her royal wedding jewelry but the rest of her accessories require notice.

The diamond bandeau tiara, made from diamonds and platinum, was made in 1932, with the centre brooch dating back to 1893.

The bandeau is formed as a flexible band of eleven sections, pierced with interlaced ovals and pavé set with large and small brilliant diamonds. The centre is set with a detachable brooch of 10 brilliant diamonds.

To complement her beautiful tiara, Markle kept the rest of her jewelry simple, opting for a pair of diamond stud earrings and a stunning bracelet.

No necklace here the Duchess kept the boatneck of her wedding gown clean and modern.

Markle is also wearing Galanterie de Cartier earrings  and Reflection de Cartier bracelet made by French jeweller Cartier.

Source: DCLA

Rare Diamonds Blow Away Estimates at Sotheby’s

The royal pedigreed Farnese Blue as well as two jumbo size D flawless stones all zoomed past their estimates at Sotheby’s May 15 auction in Geneva, showing that life remains in the high end gem market.
The 6.16 ct. Farnese Blue nabbed $6.7 million ($1.09 million per ct.), a substantial improvement over its $3.6 million $5.2 million estimate. Its buyer was anonymous.

The pear shape blue gray Farnese’s price was undoubtedly boosted by its unique heritage: Originally given to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain, as a wedding present in 1715, it passed through four royal families, although its existence was a closely guarded secret until recently. The gem (pictured, below) is believed to have originated from India’s historic Golconda diamond mine, one of the world’s first gem producers and the source of the Hope and Wittelsbach diamonds.

Daniela Mascetti, senior director and deputy chairman of jewelry at Sotheby’s Europe, said in a statement: “The Farnese Blue is quite simply an unforgettable diamond, and everyone who set their eyes on it was mesmerized by its extraordinary color  the rich blue of the deepest ocean.”

Also doing well were two Botswana mined D flawless type IIa diamonds  a 51.71 ct. round (below, left)  and a 50.39 ct. oval (below, right). Both topped their estimates as well as the price fetched by the Farnese Blue. The round sold for $9.3 million ($178,918 per ct.), and the oval fetched $8.1 million ($161,219 per ct.).


If all that weren’t enough, two purplish pink diamonds set auction records. A 9.7 ct. fancy light purplish pink (below, left)  fetched $2.5 million ($267,290 per ct.), setting a new record price for a fancy light purplish pink as well as a new record price per ct. A 2.63 ct. fancy vivid purplish pink (below, right) fetched $2.4 million ($917,443 per ct.), which is a new record price for a fancy vivid purplish pink.


All in all, the auction set five world records and sold 80 percent of its lots, with 70 percent of the lots selling above their high estimates.

Top: Caroline Lang, chairman of Sotheby’s Switzerland, auctioning the Farnese Blue (all photos courtesy of Sotheby’s).

Source: DCLA 

Rare Diamonds Blow Away Estimates at Sotheby’s

The royal pedigreed Farnese Blue as well as two jumbo size D flawless stones all zoomed past their estimates at Sotheby’s May 15 auction in Geneva, showing that life remains in the high end gem market.
The 6.16 ct. Farnese Blue nabbed $6.7 million ($1.09 million per ct.), a substantial improvement over its $3.6 million $5.2 million estimate. Its buyer was anonymous.

The pear shape blue gray Farnese’s price was undoubtedly boosted by its unique heritage: Originally given to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain, as a wedding present in 1715, it passed through four royal families, although its existence was a closely guarded secret until recently. The gem (pictured, below) is believed to have originated from India’s historic Golconda diamond mine, one of the world’s first gem producers and the source of the Hope and Wittelsbach diamonds.

Daniela Mascetti, senior director and deputy chairman of jewelry at Sotheby’s Europe, said in a statement: “The Farnese Blue is quite simply an unforgettable diamond, and everyone who set their eyes on it was mesmerized by its extraordinary color  the rich blue of the deepest ocean.”

Also doing well were two Botswana mined D flawless type IIa diamonds  a 51.71 ct. round (below, left)  and a 50.39 ct. oval (below, right). Both topped their estimates as well as the price fetched by the Farnese Blue. The round sold for $9.3 million ($178,918 per ct.), and the oval fetched $8.1 million ($161,219 per ct.).


If all that weren’t enough, two purplish pink diamonds set auction records. A 9.7 ct. fancy light purplish pink (below, left)  fetched $2.5 million ($267,290 per ct.), setting a new record price for a fancy light purplish pink as well as a new record price per ct. A 2.63 ct. fancy vivid purplish pink (below, right) fetched $2.4 million ($917,443 per ct.), which is a new record price for a fancy vivid purplish pink.


All in all, the auction set five world records and sold 80 percent of its lots, with 70 percent of the lots selling above their high estimates.

Top: Caroline Lang, chairman of Sotheby’s Switzerland, auctioning the Farnese Blue (all photos courtesy of Sotheby’s).

Source: DCLA 

Blues Lead Fancy Colour Prices

Fancy blue diamonds out performed other major color categories in price terms during the first quarter, the Fancy Color Research Foundation said.

Prices for fancy blues jumped 5% year on year for the three months ending March 31, according to the FCRF, which released its quarterly Fancy Color Diamond Index on Monday.

By contrast, prices of fancy pink diamonds declined 1.7%, while the index for yellows slipped 0.6%, the organization said. The overall index for fancy color diamonds edged up 0.1%.

Vivid blues and vivid pinks weighing 2 carats showed the best performance in their respective color categories during the quarter.

The Fancy Color Diamond Index tracks prices of fancy yellow, pink and blue diamonds in Hong Kong, New York and Tel Aviv.

Source: DCLA