A ring set with “hogback” diamonds, an early stone cut dating to around the 16th century, sold for more than $20,000 at a U.K. auction.
De Beers Says Diamond Demand Is ‘Stable’
The diamond company sold $575 million in rough in its latest round of sightholder and auction sales, a 10 percent year-over-year increase.

Gaborone, Botswana—De Beers described diamond demand as “stable” so far this year as it posted healthy gains in its latest round of auction and sightholder sales.
In its third sales cycle of 2019, the company sold $575 million in rough diamonds, up 10 percent from $524 million in the same period last year, and a 16 percent increase from the second-cycle sales total of $496 million.
The $575 million, which is provisional and likely will be revised when De Beers releases fourth-cycle sales figures next month, is the company’s highest total since the fifth sales cycle of last year.
Here’s a chart showing De Beers’ rough diamond sales so far in 2019.
In other company news, De Beers Canada announced last month that a haul truck has brought the last load of ore up from Victor Mine, the open-pit mine in northern Ontario that opened in 2008.
Victor will continue to process stockpiled ore until early May.
De Beers announced plans to close Victor in November 2017 and its shutdown will leave the company with just one diamond mine in Canada.
Given the closures of Victor and Snap Lake in Canada as well as Voorspoed in South Africa, the company has consolidated its Canadian and South African operations into one business, De Beers Group Managed Operations.
The unit will be run out of Johannesburg with additional support services in Canada and headed by Nompumelelo (Mpumi) Zikalala, the former deputy chief executive officer of De Beers Consolidated Mining (DBCM).
Zikalala has more than 18 years’ experience in the mining industry, starting her career as an ore processing engineer at the Cullinan Diamond Mine in 2001.
As deputy CEO at DBCM, she was in charge of the company’s strategy in South Africa, including the consolidation and simplification of its business there.
She is replacing DBCM CEO Phillip Barton and De Beers Canada CEO Kim Truter,
The Latest

The rainbow version of the ring, our Piece of the Week, features angel-cut, octahedral lab-grown sapphires designed to be worn as armor.

The new initiative donates a portion of the proceeds from select charms to charitable causes.

Colored gemstones, artisan finishes, mixed metals, and meaningful details are shaping demand in bridal jewelry.

The Brooklyn-based jeweler created a limited-edition version of its “Aura” eternity band, set with gemstones in the team’s colors.


Senior Editor Lenore Fedow headed to Savannah to learn more about the 10-year, $10 million partnership between JM and the art school.

Its new capsule jewelry collection features gold-finished stainless steel pieces designed for a maximalist look without a luxury price tag.

DCA is preparing the next generation of professionals by supporting workforce development, leadership growth, and career advancement.

The week-long event in Geneva is slated for April 2027.

Jewelers are missing out by not offering this one key add-on at the online point of sale, Emmanuel Raheb writes.

The fourth collaborative collection from the retailer and jewelry content creator focuses on gemstone charms and strands of colorful beads.

This year’s AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards will feature two new categories.

The collection features traceable alexandrite from Brazil in calibrated sizes that is sorted by grade.

Dhaval Raja has been appointed to the role.

The capsule collection looks to vintage trunk pins that echo the spirit of speed, freedom, and the mythology of the American road trip.

SSEF issued a notice about the potential new source of the sought-after gemstone, citing “credible reports” from trade sources.

As Amazon Prime Day kicks off, Etsy is encouraging shoppers to support small businesses.

Cole Winward is the recipient of 2026 AGA Gemological Scholarship.

Whether they evoked nostalgia, wonder, or laughter, these jewels put a smile on our faces.

Scheduled for April 2027, Basilia will be the first watch and jewelry trade show held in Basel since the collapse of Baselworld in 2020.

Submissions for the milestone 25th annual Gem Awards will be accepted across three categories from now through July 31.

The beloved beagle dons his aviator outfit for the new Engineer Master II Snoopy Flying Ace timepiece.

The recent high jewelry auction, which also featured the sale of a 10-carat blue diamond, was “a celebration of color.”

She wore the “Le Cauri Endiamanté” earrings, our Piece of the Week, in the Obamas’ first dual portrait for the Obama Presidential Center.

Couture’s Michelle Orman joins Amanda Gizzi and Michelle Graff for this special post-Market Week episode of My Next Question.

The lab is seeing emeralds with filler added post-testing enter the market, accompanied by reports that indicate little to no treatment.

The third generation of the Stern family to head Patek Philippe, he navigated the “quartz crisis” and preserved the brand’s independence.






















