The pear brilliant-cut, D-color, VVS2-clarity, type IIa stone is the lead item in the Jewels Online auction, which will take place from March 11 to 21, Christie’s said Wednesday. This will be the auction house’s first jewelry sale of the year, and will feature a curated selection of signed jewels, diamonds and colored gemstones. Select pieces from the sale will be open for public viewing at the Christie’s showroom in Rockefeller Center.
The auction will include items by well-known design houses such as Cartier, Hemmerle, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels. Also up for sale will be a private collection from philanthropist and sailing enthusiast George Frederick “Fritz” Jewett, Jr. and his wife Lucy.
Two charitable collections will be on the block as well: One to benefit the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) Foundation, and another belonging to interior designer, author and Oprah Winfrey Show guest Nate Berkus. Proceeds from the latter will go toward financial aid at New York’s Grace Church School.
Here are some of the other highlights from the sale:
This ring features a round brilliant-cut, 1.13-carat, fancy-blue, VS2 diamond center stone with baguette-cut sapphires and diamonds on either side. It has a high estimate of $250,000.
A ring with a cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, 8.21-carat, fancy-intense-yellow, VS1-clarity diamond is expected to bring in up to $100,000. The lot has no reserve price.
Christie’s will auction this Van Cleef & Arpels necklace featuring pink tourmalines, onyx and diamonds for an estimated $60,000 to $80,000.
This coin and bicolor-gold Tubogas bangle bracelet by Bulgari carries an estimate of up to $80,000. The cuff contains three staters from the ancient city of Corinth, each depicting a Pegasus on one side and the head of the goddess Athena on the other.
Lucapa Diamond Company and its partners Endiama and Rosas and Petalas, have recovered two diamonds of over 100 ct each from the terraces of Mining Block 46 at the Lulo mine, in Angola.
The miner plans to offer the first, a 162.42 carat, type IIa diamond, as part of its normal run-of-mine sales later this month, it said Tuesday. It will sell a 116.14 carat rough, which it discovered the next day, by tender at a future date, along with other high-value, type IIa diamonds the company unearthed from the deposit recently.
Both diamonds were recovered in February, with a 162 ct diamond recovered first, and a 116 ct diamond recovered the following day.
The 116 ct Type IIa diamond will be sold through a tender at a future date, along with other high-value Type IIa diamonds recovered recently, while the 162 ct diamond will be sold as part of normal run-of-mine sales later this month.
Lucapa has assets in Africa and Australia, with interests in the Lulo diamond mine and the Mothae diamond mine, in Lesotho.
Sarine recorded a $2.8m loss for 2023 as it battled macro-economic challenges in China and beyond, as well as increasing disruption from lab growns.
The Israel-based diamond tech business made an $8.8m profit the previous year. Revenue for 2023 was down 27 per cent to $42.9m.
Sarine said sales of equipment and the recurring scanning revenues that came from them had been hit by lower consumer demand and manufacturers’ reduced polishing activities.
Sales to India, its biggest single market by far, fell 27 per cent to $22m.
However it did sound a note of optimism after a “challenging year”, suggesting that a sharp fall in lab grown retail prices could lower retailers’ margins and make them less attractive.
“While it may be too early to call this a new trend, the slowdown could indicate that the natural diamond and LGD segments of the diamond jewellery market are reaching a new equilibrium,” the company said.
Sarine said it had launched its Most Valuable Plan (MVP) for the optimal planning of small rough diamonds and had adapted rough planning technologies to lab growns to attract new customers and generate additional recurring revenues.
The US and the UK will require importers of polished diamonds weighing 1 carat and above to apply a “self-certification” declaring the stones are not of Russian origin, while the UK will also expect documentary proof in some cases.
The new US guidelines are a follow-up to last month’s directive by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) implementing tighter restrictions on loose Russian diamonds and those set into jewelry that had been in part or fully manufactured or “substantially transformed” in another country. The rules address a loophole that had been in place since the US first imposed sanctions in March 2022.
The US Customs and Border Protection released an update to the bans beginning March 1, calling for importers to upload a PDF on official company letterhead, it said last week. For nonindustrial diamonds, the self-certification should state: “I certify that the nonindustrial diamonds in this shipment were not mined, extracted, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Russian Federation, notwithstanding whether such diamonds have been substantially transformed into other products outside of the Russian Federation.”
Those bringing in diamond jewelry or unsorted diamonds should submit a document saying: “I certify that the diamond jewelry and unsorted diamonds in this shipment are not of Russian Federation origin or were not exported from the Russian Federation.”
The UK government’s Department for Business and Trade has followed suit, noting that supplier declaration of compliance with the sanctions “may be acceptable,” but that “traders should be prepared to provide documentation to demonstrate evidence of a stone’s supply chain.” That evidence can include the original Kimberley Process (KP) certificate issued when shipped from the diamond’s origin country, an invoice, a certificate of origin issued by a chamber of commerce, or a diamond origin report. The government also distributed rules for diamonds manufactured in another country that were outside of Russia before March 1.
Last week, the London Diamond Bourse (LDB) held an emergency meeting to discuss the ban due to the “absence of clarity and guidance…as to how we might conform with the restrictions…in terms of paperwork and provenance” before the March 1 launch, it said. The exchange noted it was in an “invidious” position and felt its members and the greater trade should avoid importing polished loose diamonds above 1 carat until there is “less ambiguous guidance.” The bourse may put out updated guidance following the release of the new rules.
While neither the US or the UK has given a timeline as to how long these guidelines will be in effect, it’s likely the less restrictive rules will only be valid during the “sunrise period,” which ends August 31 and allows importers time to become accustomed to the new measures. The European Union has stated that it would accept documentation proving non-Russian origin during the initial timeframe but will expect all stones passing through Antwerp to be placed on a traceability system beginning September 1. At that point, restrictions in all Group of Seven (G7) nations — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and the UK, as well as the EU — will expand to include diamonds weighing more than 0.50 carats.
For its part, Canada also produced a statement noting it would comply with the March 1 curbs against indirect imports of Russian-origin diamonds.
“Canada has been at the forefront of imposing economic barriers on the Putin regime,” said Mélanie Joly, the country’s minister of foreign affairs. “Along with our allies and partners, we have imposed severe sanctions on the Russian regime, and we will continue to do so to hold [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and his enablers to account.”
The current self-certification rules are likely to provide a temporary solution to concerns industry groups voiced over a proposal that all diamonds would be funneled through Antwerp for screening and certification prior to arriving at their destination countries, a move the organizations feared would harm the rest of the industry.
On Saturday, India’s Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) sent a message to members urging them to “review guidelines meticulously,” and “exercise utmost caution when dispatching shipments to G7 countries.” The council also advised exporters to “maintain meticulous records of all documents of import and purchase.” A large portion of the world’s rough is manufactured in the country before making its way to consumer nations.
“It is crucial to emphasize that while some of the G7 countries/EU have already issued guidelines to their importers, a few are still in the process of finalizing theirs,” the GJEPC said. “We believe even the issued ones are initial guidelines and are subject to changes [and] updates during the course of time.”
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Alrosa’s revenue rose in 2023 as the Russian diamond miner continued to sell despite sanctions.
Sales increased 9% to RUB 322.57 billion ($3.55 billion) for the year, the company reported Wednesday. However, net profit fell 15% to RUB 85.18 billion ($939.3 million).
Alrosa and its diamonds have been the subject of sanctions by the US and other Western countries since Russia’s war in Ukraine began in February 2022. Major markets including India and China still permit imports of Russian diamonds. On March 1, the US will introduce stricter measures banning the import of 1-carat and larger stones of Russian origin, even if they went through manufacturing in a third country.
The miner’s announcement was its second full results statement since March 2022. On both occasions, it withheld information on the destination of its sales, which usually shows Belgium, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India to be the largest buyers.
Last week, De Beers reported a 36% drop in 2023 revenue for a total of $4.27 billion, with the diamond unit recording a net impairment of $1.56 billion, reflecting a weaker demand outlook.
