Update April 23, 2010: The following lecture has been cancelled due to       political protests and violence. Future information on the schedule for GIA Thailand’s Gemstone Gatherings will be available on www.giathai.net.The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Thailand will host a pearl lecture, “Melo Reflections,” by Nicholas Sturman, GIA supervisor of p...

RAPAPORT... Between the LinesMining: Production LevelsThe major diamond mining companies significantly boosted their production in the first quarter of 2010 compared with the previous year due largely to the shutdown of De Beers mines during the 2009 first quarter (see table below). Anglo American reported that De Beers output ramped up this year “as the market continued to improve.” Compared to t...

(RAPAPORT) BBC: Italy's  Corriere della Sera newspaper profiled Europe's top armed gangs that continue to re-intent themselves. There is the "Pink Panther" gang specializing in big-name jewelry store heists. Then there is the termite gang, which attacks bank vaults. Then the people who rob casinos. And, finally, the drug-soldiers from the Balkans. These are the biggest gangs, which are v...

RAPAPORT... Diamonds, jewelry and colored stones all sold for solidly strong prices at Sotheby’s and Christie’s New York sales earlier this week. Diamonds 10-carats and over sold extremely well with very strong prices, particularly for those of higher qualities. The shortage of these larger diamonds has driven prices higher as privates and dealers scramble to get their hands on big rocks, which ap...

RAPAPORT... Crossworks Manufacturing Ltd. plans to hold its first polished diamond tender for stones that originated from the De Beers Canada Victor mine  in Ontario. The tender, which runs May 3-5, 2010,  is by invitation only and the event will be held at the Diamond Bourse of Canada  in Toronto. Diamonds were polished  at Crossworks’ polishing facility in Sudbury and will be...

RAPAPORT... Stone Set Technologies of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is introducing a new Unilock Pre-Set Instructional Kit for its patented bezel setting system. Unilock pre-set gives jewelers the ability to instantly bezel-set diamonds, colored gems, cubic zirconia and synthetic stones into almost any metal or material without use of solder or adhesives.  Tiny Unilock pre-set bezels can also be ...

RAPAPORT... First-quarter sales at Amazon.com rose 46 percent to $7.13 billion, while the online retailer's cost of sales was up by 47 percent to $5.5 billion. The company benefitted from a $185 million foreign exchange rate gain during this quarter that ended on March 31, 2010. Amazon's net income jumped 68 percent to $299 million for the period. Online sales acros...

(RAPAPORT) USA Today: Cheryl Stewart was laid off one year ago, so she and her husband slowed their spending. But recently, she started buying clothes and redecorating her daughter's room, and is preparing to buy furniture. She is on a budget, but the Baltimore mother of two says that even though she is not working, she has grown tired of "denying myself for so long." Jane Scott a...

(RAPAPORT) China Daily: Beijing investors have come down with a severe case of gold fever ever since the stock market was hit with recent fluctuations and in light of expectations of a falling property values. At the capital's Caishikou department store (Caibai), the biggest gold and jewelry seller in the city, buyers' passion for gold was apparent. Customers were crowded around the counters and ...

(RAPAPORT) Business Times: Sellers from the U.S. are turning to Asia to recover money from their precious items that were seized in foreclosures and bankruptcies. These items include fine jewelry and diamonds confiscated from super-rich consumers in the U.S. and some were sold in  Kuala Lumpur this past week. Bid Global Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Bid Global LLC, held its second ...

RAPAPORT... Gemfields and the World Land Trust  collaborated with eight jewelry designers to create a unique ‘pop-up’ collection of bespoke emerald jewelry.  The aim of this collection is to create awareness of the plight of the Asian elephant and to bring attention to the World Land Trust’s ‘Indian Elephant Corridor’ project, which is raising funds to save elephants in India. The collec...

RAPAPORT... A magnificent 14.6-carat pear-shaped diamond pendant fetched $721,000 (GBP 468,000)  against a high presale estimate of $462,000 at Bonhams in London this week. The auction house reported fierce bidding for 135 lots during its first jewelry sale of the year. The total sale achieve $3.4  million (GBP 2.2 million). Two brilliant-cut diamond single-stone rings weighing 5.01 ca...

Polished trading stable. Cutters concerned that DTC may hike rough prices at next week's sight resulting in even higher prices to smaller cutters who buy rough from sightholders. Diamdel reports strong 1Q auction demand for rough with intense competition for 2ct+ sizes and increased buying from Israel. De Beers 1Q production at 7m cts. vs. 1m cts. previous year, and BHP Billiton 1Q production -19%...

    RAPAPORT NEWS SERVICE | APRIL 23, 2010   www.rapaport.com | news@rapaport.com ...

RAPAPORT... The two largest diamond mining companies, ALROSA and De Beers, have released a series of data in the past two to three weeks that have left us scratching our heads. Between the two, some $2.5 billion worth of rough came to the market during the first quarter as manufacturers, starved of manufacturing in 2009, restocked and ramped up demand. Even ahead of next week’s Diamond Trading Com...

RAPAPORT... The Birmingham Assay Office in the U.K. is holding jewelry, watch and silverware valuation service days on April 28, May 28 and June 30, 2010. The office provides these services for a fixed fee and reports that making advance appointments for those days is essential. Typically, the valuation includes photographs of the submitted items and detailed descriptions and statements ...

RAPAPORT... The 25karats.com website added a new collection of wedding bands to the offerings that are currently available there. The spring collection includes handmade and designer jewelry, as well as antique and Celtic diamond wedding bands. “The wedding season is ahead,” said Matt Asku of 25karats.com. “We want to offer a wide selection of wedding bands to our customers with differ...

Press Release: Esslinger & Co. presented its 2010 workshop for jewelers at its headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 5, 2010. Jewelers from across the country gathered for this  day of learning, which included two in-depth workshops conducted by special guest David Geller and offered more than six hours of practical advice on how jewelers can become more profitable in 201...

RAPAPORT... Jewelry retailer Mayors opened its first-ever Mayors by Birks store at The Gardens Mall on 3101 PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. In addition, the watch brand Rolex partnered with Mayors by Birks and will hold a private celebratory event tonight at the new store.  Mayors by Birks represents a new concept for parent company Birks & Mayors, carrying ...

(RAPAPORT) Canadian Press Broadcast Wire: Starting next week, you'll be able to show your love with a homegrown diamond — if you can afford it. Some of the first diamonds to be mined in Ontario will be going up for sale at Birks' flagship store in downtown Toronto on Monday. The 100 Ontario-certified gems are extremely high quality and are mined and processed in one place. Mining Minist...