Wednesday 11 March 2020

Gem Diamonds recovers 100 diamonds larger than 100 carats


Commenting on the results, Clifford Elphick, CEO of Gem Diamonds, says:
“Gem Diamonds delivered solid operational results which together with the targeted gains of the Business Transformation programme and continued emphasis on cost controls, confirmed our status as one of the lowest-cost producers in the industry.”
“The operational results were characterised by the achievement of all guided operational metrics and the recovery of 11 diamonds greater than 100 carats each, which also brought the total number of diamonds of greater than 100 carats recovered at the Letšeng mine to 100.
“This, together with a 13.32 carat pink diamond that was recovered and sold for a Letšeng record of US$656 934 per carat, reaffirms the unique quality of the Letšeng production.
“The Letšeng mining lease was renewed for an effective 20-year period which creates long-term stability for Letšeng.
“This, together with the continued emphasis on cost controls, positions the Company well for an upturn in the market for Letšeng’s quality production which appears to have begun.”
Source: DCLA

Gem Diamonds recovers 100 diamonds larger than 100 carats


Commenting on the results, Clifford Elphick, CEO of Gem Diamonds, says:
“Gem Diamonds delivered solid operational results which together with the targeted gains of the Business Transformation programme and continued emphasis on cost controls, confirmed our status as one of the lowest-cost producers in the industry.”
“The operational results were characterised by the achievement of all guided operational metrics and the recovery of 11 diamonds greater than 100 carats each, which also brought the total number of diamonds of greater than 100 carats recovered at the Letšeng mine to 100.
“This, together with a 13.32 carat pink diamond that was recovered and sold for a Letšeng record of US$656 934 per carat, reaffirms the unique quality of the Letšeng production.
“The Letšeng mining lease was renewed for an effective 20-year period which creates long-term stability for Letšeng.
“This, together with the continued emphasis on cost controls, positions the Company well for an upturn in the market for Letšeng’s quality production which appears to have begun.”
Source: DCLA

Tuesday 10 March 2020

Lucapa closer to uncovering Lulo kimberlite source


Lucapa Diamond Company has made some significant progress in its search for the kimberlite source of the high-value alluvial diamonds being mined at the Lulo diamond project in Angola.
Following highly-encouraging tributary sampling results in February 2020, the project Lulo partners commenced a drilling programme in the Canguige catchment area targeting five kimberlite pipes considered prospective to host diamonds, along with two additional priority anomalies.
Once the existing priority kimberlites are drilled, kimberlite bulk samples from these five pipes will be excavated for processing to test for diamonds.
Source: DCLA

Lucapa closer to uncovering Lulo kimberlite source


Lucapa Diamond Company has made some significant progress in its search for the kimberlite source of the high-value alluvial diamonds being mined at the Lulo diamond project in Angola.
Following highly-encouraging tributary sampling results in February 2020, the project Lulo partners commenced a drilling programme in the Canguige catchment area targeting five kimberlite pipes considered prospective to host diamonds, along with two additional priority anomalies.
Once the existing priority kimberlites are drilled, kimberlite bulk samples from these five pipes will be excavated for processing to test for diamonds.
Source: DCLA

Monday 9 March 2020

Gem Diamonds Retrieves Another Five Big Stones


Gem Diamonds has recovered five large, high-quality stones at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, continuing a strong first quarter for the company’s production.
The company unearthed four white diamonds weighing 88, 56, 53 and 33 carats between February 28 and March 3. It also found a “top-quality” 13-carat pink diamond.
Those are in addition to the recovery of a 114-carat stone the miner reported last week. It found a 183-carat, white, type IIa diamond last month.
The miner is ahead of where it was this time last year in terms of its large-stone recoveries. In 2019, Gem Diamonds didn’t find any stones over 100 carats until late March. During that year, the company unearthed a 13.33-carat pink diamond similar to the one it found last week. That stone sold to Graff for $8.8 million, fetching a record average price of $656,933 per carat for Gem Diamonds.

While the recovery of large stones bodes well for the company, it has had to cancel a rough tender that was set to take place in Israel from March 8 to 12 due to the coronavirus, the Israel Diamond Exchange reported. Its Belgium auction will proceed as planned.
Source: DCLA

Gem Diamonds Retrieves Another Five Big Stones


Gem Diamonds has recovered five large, high-quality stones at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, continuing a strong first quarter for the company’s production.
The company unearthed four white diamonds weighing 88, 56, 53 and 33 carats between February 28 and March 3. It also found a “top-quality” 13-carat pink diamond.
Those are in addition to the recovery of a 114-carat stone the miner reported last week. It found a 183-carat, white, type IIa diamond last month.
The miner is ahead of where it was this time last year in terms of its large-stone recoveries. In 2019, Gem Diamonds didn’t find any stones over 100 carats until late March. During that year, the company unearthed a 13.33-carat pink diamond similar to the one it found last week. That stone sold to Graff for $8.8 million, fetching a record average price of $656,933 per carat for Gem Diamonds.

While the recovery of large stones bodes well for the company, it has had to cancel a rough tender that was set to take place in Israel from March 8 to 12 due to the coronavirus, the Israel Diamond Exchange reported. Its Belgium auction will proceed as planned.
Source: DCLA

Thursday 5 March 2020

Pandora to Slash 180 Jobs in Restructuring


Pandora is embarking on a major streamlining process aimed at speeding up its ability to act on customer feedback, the jeweler said Wednesday.
The Danish company will close its three regional offices — management centers that oversee stores in specific parts of the world — to eliminate a layer between upper management and customers, it noted. It will cut 180 workers as a result.
“[This] brings our global headquarters closer to our local markets and consumers, and ensures that feedback from consumers can more quickly fuel new concept creations,” noted Pandora CEO Alexander Lacik. “The reorganization will reduce organizational complexity, enable Pandora to execute with more speed and agility, and add critical capabilities required to support growth.”
Pandora will group its market areas into 10 clusters, each of which will be headed by a general manager who is based in the largest market within that cluster. All general managers will report to a newly hired chief commercial officer, whose identity the company will disclose shortly.
The jeweler will also establish two global business units that will oversee all products, which it believes will offer a more consistent marketing message and consumer experience, it said. One unit will be responsible for core products, including its Moments collection, charms and collaborations, while the second will drive newer product categories and innovations. The units will report to chief marketing officer Carla Liuni.
Additionally, as part of the new restructuring, three regional presidents will step down from the executive team. The new system will take effect April 2.
Source: DCLA

Lightbox Launches New Campaigns – Despite Ending Production

Lightbox has just launched new campaigns for its lab grown diamonds – despite its announcement in June that it was halting production. The w...