Diamond News Archives

(IDEX Online) - Southstone Minerals reports further discoveries of very large and high-quality diamonds at its alluvial Oena mine, in South Africa.

Output for Q3 (March to May) was severely impacted by coronavirus and an enforced five-week shutdown, down almost two thirds on the previous quarter.

But the Canada-based junior miner said it had recovered 23 stones over 10 carats from the 8,800-hectare mine in Northern Cape Province (pictured). The most expensive was 35 carats and sold for $535,000 ($15,286 per carat).

Other highlights included stone sized 52.62 carats (sold for $127,975), 44.25 carats (sold for $243,000), and 37.03 carats (sold for $188,962). 

Production for Q2 totalled 588.14 carats (77 diamonds, yielding an average of $1,942 per carat.  For Q3 production was down to 215.78 carats (35 diamonds, yielding an average of $2,001 per carat)....

(IDEX Online) - A pair of matching heart-shaped fancy diamonds - a vivid pink and a vivid blue - fetched a combined  price of $18.6m at Sotheby's in Hong Kong.

The stones were sold as separate lots.  It is not known if they were bought separately or by a single bidder.

The vivid blue diamond is described as 5.04-carat fancy heart modified brilliant-cut diamond with VS2 clarity, mounted on a platinum ring flanked by two pear-shaped diamonds. It achieved more than $10.5m, including the buyer's premium at the Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels auction held on Friday.

The vivid pink was a 4.49-carat heart modified brilliant-cut, internally flawless, fancy diamond on an 18-carat white gold ring flanked by pear-shaped diamonds. It achieved more than $8.1m.

Total proceeds from the first live auction by Sotheby's Hong Kong since coronavirus lockdown were $56.5m.  The heart-shaped fancies fetched the highest and third-highest prices....