Alrosa implements guidance to avoid conflict diamonds

Russia’s Alrosa, the world’s top diamond miner by volume, announced that it will start implementing the OECD due diligence guidance for responsible supply chains of minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas.

In a press release, the company said that to improve the efficiency of this work and guarantee compliance, it has launched an internal diamond supply chain management system. The mechanism is based on the Regulations on Responsible Diamond Supply Chain Management recently approved by its executive committee.

According to Alrosa, the internal diamond tracking and traceability system applies to all the segments of the diamond supply chain. It allows the firm to provide its clients with the information not only on the country of origin but the region of origin of its rough and polished diamond production.

The system also guarantees that rough diamonds produced by Alrosa in different regions are not mixed in the process of sorting, valuation, cutting and polishing, and trading.

“As part of Alrosa obligations as a certified RJC member, we are very proud to launch our tailored diamond supply chain due diligence system,” Peter Karakchiev, head of international relations, said in the media brief.

“It marks the start of a process which we believe will positively contribute to ensuring that all Alrosa diamonds are produced in compliance with the high standards of responsible business conduct.”

Source: DCLA

Alrosa implements guidance to avoid conflict diamonds

Russia’s Alrosa, the world’s top diamond miner by volume, announced that it will start implementing the OECD due diligence guidance for responsible supply chains of minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas.

In a press release, the company said that to improve the efficiency of this work and guarantee compliance, it has launched an internal diamond supply chain management system. The mechanism is based on the Regulations on Responsible Diamond Supply Chain Management recently approved by its executive committee.

According to Alrosa, the internal diamond tracking and traceability system applies to all the segments of the diamond supply chain. It allows the firm to provide its clients with the information not only on the country of origin but the region of origin of its rough and polished diamond production.

The system also guarantees that rough diamonds produced by Alrosa in different regions are not mixed in the process of sorting, valuation, cutting and polishing, and trading.

“As part of Alrosa obligations as a certified RJC member, we are very proud to launch our tailored diamond supply chain due diligence system,” Peter Karakchiev, head of international relations, said in the media brief.

“It marks the start of a process which we believe will positively contribute to ensuring that all Alrosa diamonds are produced in compliance with the high standards of responsible business conduct.”

Source: DCLA

Petra Diamonds founder steps down

South Africa’s Petra Diamonds is saying goodbye to Adonis Pouroulis, the company’s founder and chairman for 23 years.

The diamond producer, which dropped the role of chief operating officer in November because of management restructuring, said Pouroulis is being succeeded by Peter Hill, who was appointed a non-executive director of Petra and chairman-designate in December.

Hill began his career in the gold division of Anglo American, moving later to Rossing Uranium in Namibia, then to London as mining engineer with then BP Minerals, and later joining Consolidated Gold Fields.

Petra has been seeking to turn around its fortunes after piling up debt to expand its iconic Cullinan mine in South Africa, where the world’s largest-ever diamond was found in 1905.

In September, it reported a 22% drop in annual profit amid falling diamond prices and the company’s investment in Cullinan aimed at reviving the aging operation. The company’s share price collapsed to a record low as it also revealed it was writing down the value of its mines. 

Just when the first signs of stabilization in the sector were starting to appear, the novel coronavirus pandemic forced Petra to halt its production outlook for 2020.

The company closed its mines in South Africa last week for a mandatory 21-day lockdown aimed at slowing the spread of covid-19.

Its remote Williamson diamond mine, in Tanzania, said Petra, continues to be “closely monitored.”

Souce: DCLA

Petra Diamonds founder steps down

South Africa’s Petra Diamonds is saying goodbye to Adonis Pouroulis, the company’s founder and chairman for 23 years.

The diamond producer, which dropped the role of chief operating officer in November because of management restructuring, said Pouroulis is being succeeded by Peter Hill, who was appointed a non-executive director of Petra and chairman-designate in December.

Hill began his career in the gold division of Anglo American, moving later to Rossing Uranium in Namibia, then to London as mining engineer with then BP Minerals, and later joining Consolidated Gold Fields.

Petra has been seeking to turn around its fortunes after piling up debt to expand its iconic Cullinan mine in South Africa, where the world’s largest-ever diamond was found in 1905.

In September, it reported a 22% drop in annual profit amid falling diamond prices and the company’s investment in Cullinan aimed at reviving the aging operation. The company’s share price collapsed to a record low as it also revealed it was writing down the value of its mines. 

Just when the first signs of stabilization in the sector were starting to appear, the novel coronavirus pandemic forced Petra to halt its production outlook for 2020.

The company closed its mines in South Africa last week for a mandatory 21-day lockdown aimed at slowing the spread of covid-19.

Its remote Williamson diamond mine, in Tanzania, said Petra, continues to be “closely monitored.”

Souce: DCLA

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Truth ! coronavirus COVIDー19

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De Beers Cancels Upcoming Sight

De Beers has called off this week’s sight in Botswana, citing restrictions resulting from measures to contain the coronavirus.

Lockdowns in Botswana, South Africa and India are prohibiting sightholders from traveling and preventing the shipment of merchandise to clients’ international operations, De Beers said in a statement Monday. The company is letting sightholders defer 100% of their supply allocations to later in the year, as reported by Rapaport News on Thursday.

The miner “will continue to seek innovative ways to meet sightholders’ rough-diamond supply needs in the coming weeks,” it continued.

The sale was due to run from March 30 to April 3 in Gaborone. However, on March 16, Botswana banned entry to visitors from 18 countries, including US, China, India and Belgium — making attendance impossible for most sightholders.

Customers can usually buy De Beers’ rough remotely due to the consistency of the diamond assortments. However, demand is extremely weak as the manufacturing sector in Surat, India, has closed and the US retail market has largely shut down. In addition, the ability to transport goods around the world is limited. Sales were likely to be extremely low, rough-market sources told Rapaport News.

The unprecedented conditions prompted the World Diamond Council (WDC) and six major trade organizations to ask the CEOs of De Beers and Alrosa to consider offering complete flexibility on purchasing obligations. In a March 20 letter, bourses and trade groups in India, Belgium and Israel joined the WDC in urging the miners to treat the situation as a “force majeure” — an unforeseeable circumstance that prevents the fulfilment of a contract.

“With so many companies now down to a fraction of sales, it is imperative to keep the right balance to secure their short-term viability,” the organizations wrote.

Alrosa allowed more flexibility than normal at its March rough sale, enabling customers to defer 60% of their allocations. However, responding to the letter, it emphasized the importance of all industry participants supporting each other.

“COVID-19 is a new challenge for all of us, and it requires the industry from mine to retail to stand together and take joint innovative steps, not avoid them at the expense of others,” Alrosa CEO Sergey Ivanov wrote. “Walking away from mutual obligations is shortsighted.”

Source: DCLA