Diamond Blog by MID House of Diamonds

LVMH’s Tiffany Acquisition: The Jewelry Deal of the Millennium

Some are calling it the jewelry deal of the millennium. That’s difficult to say, but less than 20 years in, it almost certainly will register as the jewelry deal of the 21st Century.

Kimberley Process Criticized for Conflict Diamond Definition

After five days of deliberations in New Delhi, with the deadline for the end of the Kimbreley Process’ three-year review and reform cycle fast approaching, delegates made a last-minute attempt to reach consensus over a broadening of the definition of what constitutes a “conflict diamond.” But they ultimately failed to reach agreement.

Natural and Lab-Grown Diamond Sectors Cooperate for First Time

For possibly the first time in a formal industry setting, representatives of both the natural and laboratory-grown diamond sectors have come together with the intention of establishing a set of mutually agreed-to principles that will regulate thee relations between the product categories.

Buyers Flock to JMA Hong Kong, Last Major Show of 2019

JMA Hong Kong, the final major Asian trade show of 2019, which takes place for the 27th
time right at the start of the traditional Western holiday shopping season and about three
weeks before the beginning of the Chinese New Year, has become the focus of a great deal
of attention this year, in part because of the political turmoil currently bubbling in the Asian
business capital.

KP Certification Review Nears End as Leaders Meet in India

Representative of the tripartite coalition that makes up the Kimberley Process will assemble
in New Delhi, India, on November 18, for a five-day Plenary Meeting at which the fate of the
organization’s three-year review and reform cycle will be decided.

De Beers Rethinks Bridal Jewelry as Marriage Rates Fall

Marriage rates are a record low, forcing the diamond industry, which for decades has relied largely on matrimonial jewelry sales to anchor the market, to rethink the way in which it markets it product. So the term “bridal jewelry” is out, and it is being replaced by the term “commitment jewelry.”

Fancy Color Diamond Prices Dip Amid Hong Kong Unrest

Prices of fancy color diamonds remained largely stable during the third quarter of 2019, reported the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF), whose Fancy Color Diamond Index (FCDI) decreased by a modest 0.5 percent during the three-month period.

NEW RESEARCH SHOWS THAT ROMANTIC LOVE REMAINS THE MAIN DRIVER FOR DIAMOND PURCHASES

Romantic love continues to be the main reason for diamond gifting, reports De Beers in its recently published Insight Report, driving about half of the value of demand in the two largest markets – the United States and China.

De Beers Insight Report Shows U.S. and China Driving Growth

De Beers has just released its latest Insight report, in which it provides a comprehensive overview of the diamond and jewelry markets up through the end of 2018. In it, the company reports that consumer demand continued to grow, driven by sustained positive macro-economic fundamentals.

Alrosa Discovers 232-Carat Gem-Quality Rough Diamond

Alrosa, the state-controlled Russian diamond mining company that currently is the world’s leading diamond producer by output, has reported the discovery of a very large rough diamond, weighing more than 232 carats. The company says that it is largest gem-quality rough diamond found in more than three years.

U.S. Retailers Optimistic as Holiday Season Nears

In just one month’s time, on November 28 this year, American with gather together for their traditional Thanksgiving meal. Traditionally held on the final Thursday of the month, it is followed by what popularly has become known as Black Friday, the start of end-of-the-year shopping season.

DIAMOND AND JEWELRY INDUSTRY ETHICS INCREASINGLY LINKED TO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

Expected standards of ethical behavior are increasingly becoming linked to a number of international ethical protocols, which also are applied in other business sectors, writes Tiffany Stevens, President of the CIBJO Ethics Commission in a recently published special report. Ms. Stevens is also President and CEO of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, the chief legal body representing the U.S. jewelry sector.

Second-Hand Diamonds Surge in Eco-Conscious Market

“Second-hand” is no longer a dirty word, especially you are between the ages of 15 and 35 and are desperately concerned about the environmental consequences of and out-of-control consumer society.

Zimbabwe Aims to Triple Rough Diamond Output in Four Years

The Zimbabwe government has said that it is planning to raise rough diamond production in the country to 11 million carats per annum by 2023, from the level of 3.2 million carats in 2018.

OCTOBER IS AWASH IN PINK

October, it appears, will be remembered as a month that is awash in pink. Sotheby’s magnificent Jewels and Jaedite sale proved to be all that it hoped to be, when its top lot, when a Type IIa fancy -pink diamond weighing 10.64 carats in an 18-karat white and rose gold ring with trapeze diamonds sold for $19.9 million.

GIA CALLS 313-CARAT DIAMOND POLISHED IN DUBAI THE LARGEST D-COLOR FLAWLESS IT HAS EVER GRADED

A Dubai-based diamond company called Nemesis International has presented to the market a 313-carat polished diamond that it says is the largest D-color diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

Separate Natural vs Man-Made Diamonds: Progress & Concerns

The effort to distinguish between diamonds mined in nature and those that are man-made has become a major undertaking in the diamond business.

Diamond Jewelry Tops Millennial Choice in China

Diamond jewelry is fast become the jewelry item of choice for Chinese consumers born between 1982 and 2000, according to the Lead-Leo Research Institute, as reported by China Daily. This represent a breakaway from traditional buying preferences, in a country where gold has traditionally been associated with wedding and wedding anniversary ceremonies.

UNDERSTANDING THE NEXT GREAT JEWELLERY-CONSUMING GENERATION

The oldest members of the next great jewelry buying generation are only 25 years of age, and its youngest members still 15, writes Jonathan Kendall, in a recently released report by the Marketing and Education Commission of CIBJO, the World Jewelry Confederation.

U.S. Markets Nervous but Bumper Holiday Season Expected

With September’s massive Hong Kong jewelry show behind it, member of the jewelry trade typically set their sights on the end of the year holiday season, which traditionally kicks off with the Thanksgiving Day weekend in the United States at the end of November. As always, a primary focus is the United States.

Sotheby’s Auction Feature 100, 80 & 10.6-carat colored diamond

Sotheby’s much storied Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale in Hong Kong, which this year will take place on October 7, will feature not only one, and not only two, but rather three spectacular diamonds – each one of which would have been the highlight of the sale on its own.

SEEING FLUORESCENT DIAMONDS IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT

Fluorescence has long been a subject of debate in the diamond industry. Relating to a phenomenon that is evident in about 25 percent to 35 percent of stones, it relates to visible light being emitted by certain diamonds when heir atoms are excited by an external light source.

Hong Kong Jewelry Fair Returns as World’s Largest

Despite rumors to the contrary, there was never any real doubt that the world’s largest jewelry trade show, the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, will open its doors as planned, first on September 16, 2019,at the AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) near the airport, for about 1,700 exhibitors of loose diamonds, colored gemstone, pearls, other jewelry-making materials and machinery, and then on September 18, 2019, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai North on Hong Kong Island, for about 2,000 finished jewelry.

Alibaba Drives Growth in China’s Luxury Market

Despite the mounting trade war between the United States and China, Alibaba, the Chinese online ecommerce giant, continues to bet that its countrymen’s appetite for foreign goods is not waning. The company has just announced that it is spending $2 billion to acquire Kaola, its largest rival in the online sales of imported goods.

Trade War and Unrest Worry Polished Diamond Markets

Uncertainty about the state of the Chinese market, and in particular Hong Kong, has gripped the diamond industry in recent days, soon before many plan to head out for what in recent years is recognized as the world’s large jewelry trade fair, the September Hong Jewellery & Gem Fair.

SEARCH

BY CERTIFICATION

DISCOVER OUR DIAMONDS

sourcing

more trade shows

GLIMPSE FROM our trade SHOWs…

JCK 2019 LAS VEGAS SHOW

HK SEPTEMBER SHOW

HK NOV SHOW

HK MARCH SHOW

FROM OUR BLOG

RECENT

FOCUS