Diamond market sluggish due to US economic caution and China Covid-19 restrictions. Polished price decline fueling uncertainty. Buyers waiting for further decreases. Suppliers willing to negotiate to raise liquidity and reduce inventory of less desirable goods. Rough market restrained amid decline in prices on secondary market. De Beers maintains stable prices at March sight. Split in Responsible...Read More

RAPAPORT... Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the Antwerp diamond industry in an address to the Belgian parliament Thursday, accusing it of prioritizing profit over peace, according to media reports."There are people for whom Russian diamonds sometimes sold in Antwerp are more important [than Ukraine's war effort]," Zelensky said in remarks that the Associated Press cited. "Peop...Read More

RAPAPORT... Chopard has become the latest retailer to boycott diamonds originating from sanctioned Russian companies, citing its policy on responsible sourcing."As part of its 'Journey to Sustainable Luxury,' Chopard continually reviews its supply chains to ensure the procurement of responsibly sourced stones," the jeweler said Thursday in a statement to Rapaport News. "Towards this end, and...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Jewelers Board of Trade (JBT) has named Richline Group's Richard Katz as chairman of its board. Katz, who is senior vice president at Richline, has volunteered on the JBT board since 2008 and was most recently its vice chairman, the organization said Wednesday. He succeeds Ann Arnold, chief strategic officer at Buyers International Group."Richard brings great perspective...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Tiffany & Co has filed a forceful court denial over claims by rival Cartier that it had tried to steal its trade secrets."This case presents a truly bizarre circumstance," it says in a preliminary statement to the New York State Supreme Court."Cartier's principal 'evidence' is the affidavit of an ex-employee who confesses she has lied to everyone, including both...Read More

RAPAPORT... Trans Atlantic Gem Sales (TAGS) has appointed Paul Duncombe as chief operating officer for Dubai, in a bid to garner more business.Dumcombe was most recently head of operations for Grib Diamonds in Belgium, TAGS said last week. He has also worked in executive roles for De Beers, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. TAGS is relying on his broad knowledge and understand of the mining industry, as...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Namibia's state-owned diamond company has named the 36 "special clients" that will buy the bulk of its output for the next three years.Dubai and Belgium both have nine clients, India eight, Israel five, USA three, but only two from Namibia.Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) was founded in 2016 following an agreement between the government of Namibia and De Beers to "test"' wh...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Lucapa has increased its forecast of diamond resources at Lulo, Angola, after further explorations.The Australian miner has revised the number of carats up by 11 per cent, from 135,900cts to 151,040cts. That takes into account the 24,595ct mined during 2021.It is also predicting a steep rise in the price per carat, up from $1,440 (31 December 2020) to $1,930 (31 December 2021), exc...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Iris Van der Veken has quit as executive director of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) over its failure to take a tougher stance against Alrosa.The Russian miner voluntarily relinquished its vice-chairmanship of the London-based group following the invasion of Ukraine, but remains a member.Van der Veken (pictured), who has headed the RJC since 2019, is reportedly unhappy that...Read More

West Africa an improved opportunitySPONSOREDWorld Copper has economics to back Escalones resource in ChileSPONSOREDworld copper ltd.Marvel Gold stepping up exploration after resource upgradeSPONSOREDmarvel goldAnglesey Mining sharpens focus on the Parys Mountain projectSPONSOREDanglesey mining   Barton Gold, which listed in June 2021 after raising A$15 million, was one of the presenting compa...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed on the morning of Thursday March 31, with a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing likely to weigh on overall sentiment.• China’s purchasing managers indices (PMI) for manufacturing and non-manufacturing dropped into contraction mode in March.• This raises the prospects of stagflation, but the silver...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. At 7:30 AM EDT, S&P 500 futures were down 4 points in pre-opening trade. U.S. February Personal Income to be released at 8:30 AM EDT is expected to increase 0.5% versus a gain of 0.4% in January. February Personal Spending is expected to increase 0.5% versus a gain of 2.1% in January. January Canadian GDP to be released at 8:30 AM EDT is expec...Read More

SMI's analysis, undertaken with research group Cesco and Germany's GIZ points to potential savings of 50% in capital and operating costs and a 75% land use reduction through shared waterRead More

Things were very different the last time conditions for the red metal were so bullish, during the commodities super cycle in the last decade.Read More

"This [US-Chile Tax Treaty] has been awaiting ratification for more than a decade - we must move forward to ensure the success of US companies that invest in Chile and to level the playing field withRead More

All investments made by firms from authoritarian regimes should undergo the complete security review process stated in the Investment Canada Act (ICA), a parliamentary committee said in a new report that analyzed the acquisition of Neo Lithium, a Canadian-listed company, by China's Zijin Mining. While all foreign investments undergo a preliminary national security screening by Canadian authorit...Read More

Clean Air Metals (TSXV: AIR; OTC: CLRMF) has received new assays from drilling at the Escape platinum group-copper-nickel deposit, part of its flagship Thunder Bay North project. The property is located near Thunder Bay, Ont., about 60 km southeast of the Lac des Iles mine owned by Impala Platinum.The latest drill results from the Steepledge extension area are highlighted by hole ELR22-115, which...Read More

Taseko Mines (TSX: TKO; NYSE: TGB; LSE: TKO) has upped its proven and probable sulphide reserves by 40% to 640.5 million tonnes grading 0.25% copper and 0.008% molybdenum. The increase allows the company to extend the life of the mine a further 23 years. During that time, the company anticipates producing 3 billion lb. copper and 53 million lb. molybdenum."Over the last two years there has been a...Read More

Mining was one of few industries that saw relatively little disruption at the start of the global Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. And although miners endured commodity price volatility, they enjoyed low or stable costs in the early part of the pandemic (remember the first-time-ever negative oil price of April 2020, when West Texas Intermediate went down to -US$37.63 per barrel?). Lower input cos...Read More

The ongoing trend of mergers in the gold sector is expected to continue this year with companies like Kinross Gold (TSX: K; NYSE: KGC), Yamana Gold (TSX: YRI; NYSE: AUY; LSE: AUY), Centerra Gold (TSX: CG; NYSE: CGAU) and OceanaGold (TSX: OGC; ASX: OGC) "most likely" to participate in the latest round of consolidation, according to Scotiabank analysts. In a new report released this week, entitle...Read More