Announcements

4,676 carats of rough diamonds from Lucapa’s Mothae kimberlite mine in Lesotho have been sold in Antwerp. Commanding a record price of $1,198 per carat, the parcel contained a number of larger pieces, including the 101 carat D colored crystal unearthed at the end of 2020.

Around the world, IGI celebrated the arrival of New Year’s Day over a period of 16 hours. As we celebrated from one location to the next and the next – stepping into January with anticipation and excitement – we thought it would be nice to start the new year with these positive expressions and sentiments.

With 5.5 inches of snow in Ohio on Christmas Day, 2020 is going out on a high note for about 500 jewelry buyers in Canfield, Ohio. The White Christmas triggers a “Snowfall Promotion” by Komara Jewelers clients who will now receive past-purchases for free.

Christmas Day flurries could bring free bling and an even happier holiday to 500 jewelry buyers in Ohio. If Mother Nature and Kris Kringle conspire to deliver just four-inches of White Christmas to the Cleveland area – a sugar-plum of a deal gets triggered.

IGI recently debuted a holiday “Shop with Confidence” campaign. Unveiled on the famous NASDAQ billboard in Times Square, shoppers are encouraged to insist on IGI diamond & Jewelry grading reports when making holiday purchases.

Click here to register and join us at 2:00 PM EST on Wednesday for “New Talking Points about Lab-Grown Diamonds,” a 45-minute webinar from IGI and Jewelers of America. Whether you sell lab-grown diamonds or not, teaching your clients something new builds trust in your professional expertise.

Our planet’s supply of diamonds were produced by four different processes. One took over a million years to achieve results. The next have been working in laboratories and factories, with increasing success, since the 1950s. But until this month man had never replicated that final process.

Jewelers of America and IGI are pleased to present an educational webinar at 2:00 PM Eastern Time Wednesday December 2. Learn physical differences, distinctive characteristics and quality-factors attributable to growth methods and timelines.

Lucara’s Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana just produced one of the five largest diamonds ever found, continuing a series of noteworthy diamond recoveries on those premises.

Following a similar benchmark set three months ago, IGI Hong Kong recently certified the largest laboratory-grown diamond received to date. With a finished weight of 12.75 carats, this collection-quality man-made gemstone was fashioned from a staggering 46.20 carat CVD-grown rough crystal

Shopping by computer and smartphone is on the rise, with no sign of stopping. In the interest of serving consumers and retailers alike, IGI recently introduced a new digital platform for loose or mounted diamonds, gemstones and jewelry items.

Yesterday, while Americans woke to cast their votes for president of the USA, a quiet retirement took place in the land down under. Australia’s famous Argyle Mine, which has produced 90% of the world’s pink diamonds since 1983, officially closed her doors on November 3.

Anglo American is reporting that DeBeers’ rough diamond sales during the eighth cycle of 2020 brought in $467 million USD. Not only is this is a significant surge over 2020’s seventh cycle, which brought in $334 million, it’s a noteworthy increase of 57% over the $297 million realized during the same cycle in 2019.

A private, anonymous collector bidding by phone from Japan is the new owner of the first high-value item of its kind ever offered “without reserve” by Sotheby’s. Originally a 271 carat rough diamond unearthed in 2018 at the Victor Mine in Ontario, Canada, it was cut into this 102.39 carat D Flawless oval shape by Diacore.

IGI has provided insight and advice to diamond, gem and jewelry industry professionals in tandem with JCK Online’s sponsored-content initiative: “Solving New Trends in the New Normal” addresses explosive growth in two disruptive industry areas.

DeBeers has launched an initiative titled ReSet; a series of collaborations with jewelry designers spotlighting the positive impact of natural diamonds and stimulating conversations about sustainability.

We are pleased to announce a new, elevated design for our identification and grading reports. This design update comes 45 years after our first Diamond report was issued in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1975.

Another independent analysis has concluded that IGI’s loose diamond grading ranks among the world’s strictest. In an independent comparison of dual-certified diamonds IGI’s color grading was stricter than that of GIA in a majority of cases, with clarity the same or stricter in most cases, as well.

An exceptionally rare, clear diamond “the size of a lollipop” is being offered without reserve at auction by Sotheby’s. According to the auction house, an item of this historic importance and value has never been offered with no-reserve before.

The last two 100+ carat diamonds, unearthed over a span of 48 hours, are the 10th and 11th gem-quality stones weighing more than 100 carats found at Letšeng this year. At an elevation of more than 10,000 feet, the world’s highest diamond mine also boasts the world’s highest value-per-carat.

The Argyle Diamond Mine in the remote east Kimberley region of Western Australia is scheduled to close by the end of 2020 following nearly forty years of production. “One Lifetime, One Encounter” is an auction event, offering a collection of the rarest diamonds extracted there over a year’s production.

IGI Hong Kong is pleased to announce the opening of new headquarters in the historic Hung Hom district, the home of numerous jewelry producers, international jewelry trade shows and expos and the Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturer’s Association.

Tiffany & Co. has announced a program detailing the provenance of the diamonds they sell, beginning with country and mine of origin. The New-York based jeweler plans to share this “Full Craftsmanship Journey” for every newly-sourced diamond of 0.18 carats or more.

IGI has called upon the world’s creatives to step forward, with resounding success. With notice of abundant entries pending, the deadline for submission has been reset to the end of August due to popular demand.