Gold, diamonds from 2 African nations caught in U.S. forced-labor probe

Products from Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of Congo are among those from five nations to be seized by the United States at its borders because they are believed linked to forced-labor violations.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Tuesday it initiated its investigation following complaints from the public and other sources. The allegations led to the issue of a Withhold Release Order for the five products, which include gold from artisanal small mines in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and diamonds from the Marange Diamond Fields in Zimbabwe. The Marange site has a long history of alleged human rights abuses, from a 2008 massacre of civilians to 2018, when new reports of forced labor and other rights violations emerged.

“A major part of CBP’s mission is facilitating legitimate trade and travel,” said Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan. “CBP’s issuing of these five withhold release orders shows that if we suspect a product is made using forced labor, we’ll take that product off U.S. shelves.”

Because it is illegal to import goods linked to forced labor into the U.S., the CBP has the authority to order their detention but also their release. “Importers have the opportunity to either re-export the detained shipments at any time or to submit information to CBP demonstrating that the goods are not in violation,” the agency said.

Also listed were specific garments from China, rubber gloves from Malaysia and bone-black char from Brazil.

Source: DCLA

Gold, diamonds from 2 African nations caught in U.S. forced-labor probe

Products from Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of Congo are among those from five nations to be seized by the United States at its borders because they are believed linked to forced-labor violations.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Tuesday it initiated its investigation following complaints from the public and other sources. The allegations led to the issue of a Withhold Release Order for the five products, which include gold from artisanal small mines in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and diamonds from the Marange Diamond Fields in Zimbabwe. The Marange site has a long history of alleged human rights abuses, from a 2008 massacre of civilians to 2018, when new reports of forced labor and other rights violations emerged.

“A major part of CBP’s mission is facilitating legitimate trade and travel,” said Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan. “CBP’s issuing of these five withhold release orders shows that if we suspect a product is made using forced labor, we’ll take that product off U.S. shelves.”

Because it is illegal to import goods linked to forced labor into the U.S., the CBP has the authority to order their detention but also their release. “Importers have the opportunity to either re-export the detained shipments at any time or to submit information to CBP demonstrating that the goods are not in violation,” the agency said.

Also listed were specific garments from China, rubber gloves from Malaysia and bone-black char from Brazil.

Source: DCLA

Synova Launches Automated Diamond Cutter

A technology provider part-owned by De Beers has unveiled an automated cutting machine that, it claims, will significantly speed up diamond manufacturing and reduce costs.

Synova’s DaVinci system is the market’s first automated instrument that can produce all 57 facets of a round brilliant diamond in one process, the Swiss company said Thursday. The user only needs to perform one final polishing stage to finish the stone.

“Several cost, skill and labor intensive steps in the polishing phase, such as crown and pavilion blocking, girdle bruting or recurrent quality checks, become redundant,” noted Bernold Richerzhagen, Synova’s founder and CEO.

Synova cutting machine

The machine, currently intended for rough stones from 0.50 to 10 carats, gives manufacturers increased flexibility to adapt their production levels to business needs, such as seasonal demand, Synova explained.

It also gives better symmetry and a higher and more predictable polished yield, and uses water jet technology to reduce the risk of diamond cracking, the company asserted. It’s based on its existing DCS 50 cutting machine.

De Beers bought a 33% stake in Synova in 2015, pledging to work with the company to develop a fully automated cutting and shaping solution. The miner has made diamonds available for some of the machine testing.

Source: DCLA

Synova Launches Automated Diamond Cutter

A technology provider part-owned by De Beers has unveiled an automated cutting machine that, it claims, will significantly speed up diamond manufacturing and reduce costs.

Synova’s DaVinci system is the market’s first automated instrument that can produce all 57 facets of a round brilliant diamond in one process, the Swiss company said Thursday. The user only needs to perform one final polishing stage to finish the stone.

“Several cost, skill and labor intensive steps in the polishing phase, such as crown and pavilion blocking, girdle bruting or recurrent quality checks, become redundant,” noted Bernold Richerzhagen, Synova’s founder and CEO.

Synova cutting machine

The machine, currently intended for rough stones from 0.50 to 10 carats, gives manufacturers increased flexibility to adapt their production levels to business needs, such as seasonal demand, Synova explained.

It also gives better symmetry and a higher and more predictable polished yield, and uses water jet technology to reduce the risk of diamond cracking, the company asserted. It’s based on its existing DCS 50 cutting machine.

De Beers bought a 33% stake in Synova in 2015, pledging to work with the company to develop a fully automated cutting and shaping solution. The miner has made diamonds available for some of the machine testing.

Source: DCLA

Lucara finds blue and pink diamonds at Botswana mine

Canada’s Lucara Diamond continues to find gem quality, coloured diamonds at its Karowe mine, in Botswana, which in April yielded the 1,758 carat Sewelô meaning “rare find” diamond, the largest ever recovered in the African country.

The Vancouver based miner has now recovered a 9.74 carat blue and a 4.13 carat pink diamond from direct milling of the South Lobe, the area that yielded the famous 1,111 carat “Lesedi La Rona” in 2015.

The announcement comes on the heels of last week’s display of a 123 carat gem quality, top white, Type II diamond, found at the same section of the mine.

It also follows the recent sale of a 2.24 carat blue for $347,222 per carat.

Karowe, which began commercial operations in 2012, has this year yielded 22 diamonds larger than 100 carats, eight of them exceeding 200 carats.

Since the start of the year, the miner has sold 19 diamonds each with an individual price in excess of $1 million at its quarterly tender sales. This includes seven diamonds that fetched more than $2 million each, and one diamond that carried a final price tag of over $8 million.

“Lucara is extremely pleased with the recovery of these rare, sizeable, fancy coloured diamonds, which have the potential to contribute meaningful value to our regular production of large, high-value type IIa diamonds,” chief executive, Eira Thomas, said in the statement.

The precious rocks will be put up for sale in December, during the company’s fourth quarter tender.

Lucara, which has focused efforts on the prolific Botswana mine this year, is close to completing a feasibility study into potential underground production and life of mine expansion at Karowe.

Source: DCLA

Lucara finds blue and pink diamonds at Botswana mine

Canada’s Lucara Diamond continues to find gem quality, coloured diamonds at its Karowe mine, in Botswana, which in April yielded the 1,758 carat Sewelô meaning “rare find” diamond, the largest ever recovered in the African country.

The Vancouver based miner has now recovered a 9.74 carat blue and a 4.13 carat pink diamond from direct milling of the South Lobe, the area that yielded the famous 1,111 carat “Lesedi La Rona” in 2015.

The announcement comes on the heels of last week’s display of a 123 carat gem quality, top white, Type II diamond, found at the same section of the mine.

It also follows the recent sale of a 2.24 carat blue for $347,222 per carat.

Karowe, which began commercial operations in 2012, has this year yielded 22 diamonds larger than 100 carats, eight of them exceeding 200 carats.

Since the start of the year, the miner has sold 19 diamonds each with an individual price in excess of $1 million at its quarterly tender sales. This includes seven diamonds that fetched more than $2 million each, and one diamond that carried a final price tag of over $8 million.

“Lucara is extremely pleased with the recovery of these rare, sizeable, fancy coloured diamonds, which have the potential to contribute meaningful value to our regular production of large, high-value type IIa diamonds,” chief executive, Eira Thomas, said in the statement.

The precious rocks will be put up for sale in December, during the company’s fourth quarter tender.

Lucara, which has focused efforts on the prolific Botswana mine this year, is close to completing a feasibility study into potential underground production and life of mine expansion at Karowe.

Source: DCLA

313 Carat Diamond Emerges as World’s Largest D Colour

Nemesis International on Thursday unveiled a 313 carat diamond that has been certified as the largest D colour polished stone in history.

The emerald shape, VVS1 clarity diamond, known as Constellation 1, is one of eight stones that make up a collection manufactured from the 813 carat Constellation rough, which Nemesis bought in partnership with Swiss jeweler de Grisogono for $63.1 million in 2016. At $77,613 per carat, the stone still ranks as the most expensive rough diamond ever sold.

Tom Moses, executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer at the Gemological Institute of America, confirmed with Rapaport News that the stone was the largest graded D colour diamond on record.

However, Nemesis has no immediate plans to sell the diamonds, CEO Konema Mwenenge told Rapaport News on the sidelines of the Dubai Diamond Conference. “We want to showcase this as the work of art that it is,” he stressed. “Diamonds are not just a commodity and this stone is impossible to value. We’re focused on building its legacy.”

The company is considering a roadshow to display the collection around the world at museums and other platforms. “We want to keep them as a family from the same rough,” Mwenenge added. The eight stones vary in size and shape, and range in clarity from flawless to internally flawless and VVS. The second largest stone in the family is a 102 carat diamond.

The diamonds will also be presented in their full polished form for now, but will eventually be mounted into jewelry. That contrasts with the company’s last major project, the Art of de Grisogono, an emerald cut, 163 carat, D flawless diamond, cut and polished in New York from a 404 carat rough diamond. That piece was sold as a necklace that could also transform into a bracelet, fetching $33.7 million at a Christie’s auction.

Source: DCLA