Alrosa Sales Rise in Strong Rough Market

RAPAPORT... Alrosa's sales climbed 7% to $390.3 million in June amid robustdemand for rough diamonds, the miner said Tuesday. "In the second quarter, there was almost nonoticeable seasonal drop traditional for this period," said deputy CEO YuryOkoemov. Rough-diamond sales increased 8% year on year to $383.7million for the month, while polished revenue dropped 38% to $6.6 million. Alrosa raised prices of higher-value rough at its June contract sale, dealers reported. Demand was also strong at De Beers' June sight, where prices were mainly stable, with increases in certain larger categories. Alrosa's sales grew 8% to $2.69 billion in the first sixmonths of the year. Revenue from rough stones advanced 8% to $2.64 billion forthe period, while polished-diamond sales fell 9%.