Diamond |

Biggest Gem Found in a Century Finally Sells for $53 Million

GABORONE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Size isn’t everything in the diamond market, especially for the biggest gem found in more than a century and which took more than a year to sell. Lucara Diamond Corporation finally sold the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond for $53 million, or $47,777 a carat, on Monday to Graff Diamonds, Vancouver-based Lucara said in a statement. While it’s significantly bigger than the 813-carat Constellation stone Lucara found at the same time, that stone sold for a…

Campaign for More Diamond Ads Wins Support From India’s Gem Hub

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The push for bigger diamond advertising campaigns and marketing to wealthy millennials has won support from a key part of the industry: India’s manufacturers and retailers. India’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, which represents almost 6,000 diamond companies, has agreed to contribute $2 million to the Diamond Producers Association, a group designed to promote gems and backed by miners, according to executives from both organizations. India is the…

Diamonds Fund Zimbabwe’s Secret Police, Global Witness Says

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HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zimbabwe’s government is using money earned from diamond exports to fund its Central Intelligence Organisation, blamed for a raft of human-rights abuses as it’s helped to keep President Robert Mugabe in power since 1980, Global Witness said. Diamonds dug from the Marange fields in eastern Zimbabwe are channelled through Dubai, India, the Netherlands and South Africa by a complicated web of cross-owned companies based in places as diverse as Mauritius, Hong…

Safa Afrique raised capital for diamond mining in West Africa

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CONAKRY (Capital Markets in Africa) – Citigate International Ltd has announced the successful closing of Safa Afrique with $10 million raised from GCC investors. These funds will be deployed for Safa Afrique’s diamond mining portfolio which primarily consists of its flagship project in Sierra Leone as well as two joint venture projects in Guinea and Liberia with Stellar Diamonds plc, a London listed (AIM: STEL) company. Work on the project will begin immediately with activities…