Indian jewelry giant Titan Company will up its stake in e-tailer CaratLane to 98%, acquiring the share it didn’t already own for INR 46.21 billion ($557.2 million).
Titan, which already owns 71% of the online jewelry retailer, plans to buy an additional 27% in an all-cash deal, it said Saturday in a notice to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). It intends to complete the buyout by October 31, subject to requisite approvals.
The deal values CaratLane at INR 170.01 billion ($2.05 billion), according to Rapaport calculations.
Incorporated in 2007, CaratLane operates in India and in the US through a local subsidiary. Titan first took a stake in the business in 2016.
Lucara Diamond Corp. has recovered a 692.3-carat diamond from its Karowe mine in Botswana, the second massive rough from the deposit this month.
The white, type IIa stone came from the EM/PK(S) unit in the south lobe, known for its large, high-quality rough, Lucara said Monday. The miner found the diamond via its XRT unit, which uses X-ray technology to identify huge stones in large pieces of ore before they get broken up.
The new discovery is the fourth diamond over 300 carats that Lucara has unearthed so far this year, including one earlier this month: a high-quality white, type IIa rough weighing 1,080.1 carats, which the miner announced on August 8.
In addition, “this stone is the 20th diamond larger than 100 carats recovered during 2023 at Karowe,” said Lucara CEO William Lamb. “The recovery of large diamonds from the EM/PK(S) lithology of the south lobe strongly supports our expectations for the underground project.”
Lamb, who replaced Eira Thomas as CEO earlier this month, will lead the continued development of Karowe’s underground expansion. The miner invested $683 million in the project, which it believes will extend the mine’s life until at least 2040, 15 years beyond the original 2025 closure date.
In its most recent results, Lucara announced a 21% drop in its second-quarter revenue to $41.1 million amid a slowdown in market demand. Profit slid 60% to $5 million.
Julian Ogilvie Thompson, former chairman and CEO of De Beers as well as of its parent company, Anglo American, died on August 11 aged 89.
Ogilvie Thompson, a South African native, first joined Anglo American in 1956. He was promoted to personal assistant to then chairman Harry Oppenheimer a year later, De Beers told Rapaport News. In 1966, he joined the board of De Beers, and he became deputy chairman in 1982. Three years later, Ogilvie Thompson took over as executive chairman of De Beers, while Oppenheimer’s son, Nicky, filled his previous role.
In 1997, Ogilvie Thompson retired as chairman but remained deputy chairman until stepping down from the company in 2002. He was committed to supporting the development of young leaders from across Africa, forming an 18-year affiliation with the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, which offers scholarship and leadership programs to youth throughout the continent.
“Julian Ogilvie Thompson — often known in the business simply as JOT — was a hugely influential figure in the history not only of De Beers and Anglo American, but also in the broader South African landscape,” a De Beers spokesperson said. “As the former chairman and chief executive of both Anglo American and De Beers, and as a proud South African, he played a key role in shaping both companies and the nation.”
Alrosa’s diamond sales have been unaffected by sanctions, according to the company’s first published set of financial results since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
First-half sales for 2023 were RUB 188.2 billion ($1.9 bn), up 0.2% from RUB 187.8bn ($1.9 bn), for H1 of 2022, and up 3.5 per cent on H1 of 2021. Net profit for H1 2023 was down 35 per cent year-on-year to RUB 55.57bn ($562.5m).
More detailed breakdowns of diamond sales are marked as being restricted by decree of the Government of the Russian Federation.
The US has imposed banking restrictions and sanctioned direct imports of Russian diamonds. But Russian stones polished elsewhere are not sanctioned.
The G7 countries were expected to impose restrictions when they met in May, but instead announced plans to consider a traceability solution.
India and Dubai have not imposed restrictions on Russian diamonds.
In its interim financial statement, Alrosa, the state-controlled diamond miner, says: “Ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region have escalated significantly as the situation regarding Ukraine continues to evolve, which remains highly volatile.
“The sanctions against Russia, in turn, have caused economically unjustified costs in a number of foreign economies, disrupted the efficiency of supply chains and trade flows.”
De Beers will allow sightholders to defer up to half of rough purchases to early next year amid sluggish consumer demand and high midstream stockpiles, market insiders told Rapaport News Wednesday.
The miner wrote to customers on Friday, informing them that they could avoid buying parts of their allocations of 1-carat goods and larger for the rest of 2023, the sources said on condition of anonymity. The allowance is 25% by value for some boxes and 50% for others, and applies to sights 8 to 10 — which will take place in September, October and December.
The rule does not apply to the August sight, which runs this week in Botswana, they added.
De Beers does not usually let sightholders defer more than one box per category of rough diamonds in each half year. In normal circumstances, failure to buy can affect access to goods in future intention-to-offer (ITO) periods — the yearlong session for which allocations are planned.
The new concession is unusual because it allows buyers to push off purchases to a new ITO. De Beers did not specify when the final deadline would be in early 2024, the sources said.
However, it told clients they must buy at least 65% of the non-deferred goods or the deferred stones will count as refusals, the sources explained.
The move comes amid persistent weak retail sales in the US and China. Manufacturers have been carrying large inventories of the less salable polished, especially in the 0.30- to 2.99-carat sizes that originate from rough above 0.75 carats.
“There is already a buildup of polished, and therefore there is enough…to fulfill the demand for the holiday,” said one of the sources. “[De Beers will] keep [the rough] for you rather than sightholders needing to buy it and store it themselves.”
Rough prices were stable at this week’s sight, while the buyback policy remains unchanged, the market participants noted. This allows clients to sell up to 10% or up to 30% of purchases back to De Beers, depending on the category.
“We continue to provide sightholders with elements of supply flexibility to support their business needs in response to evolving demand plans,” a De Beers spokesperson commented.
Pandora has announced the introduction of three new lab-grown diamond collections, deviating from traditional jewellery styles and embracing original designs.
These new offerings are aimed at catering to a broader range of customers, in what the Danish jewellery manufacturer and retailer calls its ‘mission to Democratise Diamonds’.
Unveiling the new collections The recently introduced collections include Pandora Nova, which showcases round brilliant and princess cut stones. Notably, Pandora Nova introduces an exclusive four-prong setting that enhances the diamond’s visibility.
The Pandora Era collection reimagines timeless, classic designs while Pandora Talisman offers five pendant designs that provide an elevated version of the beloved charm jewellery.
All collections feature high-quality lab-grown diamonds with excellent cut, near colourless and VS+ clarity. These diamonds are available in various carat weights and set in either 14-carat white gold, 14-carat yellow gold, or sterling silver.
Expansion and global availability Pandora’s commitment to democratising diamonds extends to its geographical reach. Following their successful launch in the UK, US and Canada, Pandora Lab-Grown Diamonds will now be introduced to Australia, Mexico and Brazil.
This expansion aligns with Pandora’s mission to provide high-quality, affordably priced jewellery with exceptional craftsmanship.
The company’s CEO, Alexander Lacik, expresses the ambition to reach a wider audience around the world and further establish its presence in the market.
Cultural icons and campaign Pandora plans to introduce the new collections to the public through an upcoming campaign featuring a lineup of cultural icons. The campaign’s unveiling is scheduled for 29 August.
According to Pandora’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson, these collections and the associated campaign emphasise the brand’s distinctive perspective on diamonds.
The aim is to position diamond jewellery not just for special occasions but as an everyday adornment that adds a touch of joyful sparkle to any setting.
Environmental considerations and sustainability Lab-grown diamonds are identical to mined diamonds in terms of characteristics and grading standards. Pandora’s commitment to environmental sustainability is evident in its practices.
Since August 2022, the company’s Lab-Grown Diamonds collections have been produced using 100% renewable energy, significantly reducing their carbon footprint compared to traditionally mined diamonds.
Pieces crafted since the same time period are set in 100% recycled silver and gold, aligning with Pandora’s goal of using exclusively recycled materials for crafting by 2025.
Global availability and pricing The new collections will be introduced on 29 August and will be available in more than 700 stores across the US, Canada, the UK and Australia starting from 31 August.
Selected collections are set to launch in Mexico and Brazil by the end of October 2023, with a comprehensive market rollout anticipated in the first quarter of 2024. Prices for these collections begin at $290.
The Pandora Lab-Grown Diamonds range was formerly known as Diamonds by Pandora.
Sarine Technologies saw a drop in revenue and a sharp slide in earnings for the first half of 2023 as demand for the company’s manufacturing equipment slowed.
Sales declined 24% year on year to $23.7 million in the six months that ended June 30, the Israel-based producer of technology for the diamond industry reported Sunday. Profit plummeted 85% to $953,000, as lower sales and a weaker product mix reduced margins.
High inflation and rising interest rates dented consumer demand, as did a sluggish post-pandemic recovery in China, Sarine explained.
“With a decline in the sale of polished diamonds, and the subsequent reduction of rough diamonds in the pipeline, the midstream effected less manufacturing activities,” the company said. “Appropriately, our traditional business of selling capital equipment and, to a much lesser extent our inclusion scanning services, were affected.”
Recurring revenues — from fees clients pay when they use Sarine systems, such as its Galaxy rough scanners — decreased around 9%. Outright sales of capital equipment — customers’ one-off purchases of machines — fell 40%. “Teething” problems with Sarine’s Meteorite Plus, a scanning machine for small rough stones that launched late last year, also impacted the top line. The company has rectified these issues, it said.
Revenues from services to the retail and wholesale segments, which Sarine calls trade revenues, offset the declines with a 12% rise. This mainly resulted from the acquisition of New York-based Gem Certification & Assurance Lab (GCAL) earlier this year, Sarine said.
Overall prospects for the coming months remain gloomy, the company added.
“As interest rates and inflation are likely to stay elevated and the possibility of a recession in the US is still realistic, overall industry conditions are likely to remain challenging for the rest of [2023],” it said. “Our traditional businesses of selling capital equipment and, to a much lesser extent, our Galaxy scanning services, will remain affected under subdued market conditions.”
