News & Press Releases

Demand and prices strengthen
+2ct and Grainers show greatest improvements

Diamdel made 105 lots available spanning Near Gem, Grainers,+2ct and Large product categories to participants at its penultimate cycle of auctions for 2011, held between 17th November and 4th December.

Demand strengthened from buyers in Antwerp and Asia Pacifi c, held steady from buyers in Tel Aviv, but continued to decline from Indian based buyers. 103 diff erent businesses bid at the auctions, with 30 diff erent businesses winning lots.

Sales were made across all product categories with winning prices for comparable products improving in all product categories.

Non Sightholders won 68% of the lots sold by value.

Neil Ventura, CEO for the Diamdel business commented ’‘‘We have reduced our presentations of rough in recent cycles in line with our view of prevailing demand, but are encouraged to see an improvement in both demand and prices during this latest cycle of auction sales. Based upon this and other indicators we anticipate both demand and prices will strengthen further in Q1 2012’.

Download the pdf file here.

For further information about Diamdel, including details of forthcoming auction events, please visit www.diamdel.com.

Contact:

Lynette Gould,
De Beers UK
Tel: +44 (0) 207 430 3509
Cell: +44 (0) 7740 393260

Diamdel is expanding its Asia Pacific sales presence in Q4 2011 with a new office in Hong Kong to provide more opportunities for more buyers based in the region to purchase more rough diamonds via online auctions.

Neil Ventura, CEO of Diamdel commented, ‘‘following the expansion of our business in Tel Aviv in Q1, and the investment in a new business in Dubai in Q3, the decision to expand our business in Hong Kong in Q4 will mark the latest in a series of investments we have made in 2011 to build capacity in the Diamdel business. As with the other investments made this year, Diamdel Hong Kong will deliver improved access to regionally based buyers to the opportunity to purchase the products they need to develop their businesses’’.

Marcus Lung, Sales Manager Asia Pacific added, ‘‘after the restructuring process Diamdel went through in 2007, when we reduced our presence in Hong Kong, and then the economic crisis, it’s gratifying to announce these expansion plans. We have witnessed strong growth in demand from Asia Pacific buyers in both traditional and new product categories and the new office will allow us to better cater to this demand growth’’.

For further information about Diamdel, how to register with us and details of forthcoming auction events in 2011, please consult www.diamdel.com.

Contact:

Lynette Gould
De Beers UK
Tel: +44 (0) 207 430 3509
Cell: +44(0) 7740 393260

Solid participation, driven by resilient Asia Pacific demand, despite challenging conditions

Diamdel made available 635 lots spanning Near Gem, Smalls, Grainers, +2ct and Large product categories to participants at its seventh cycle of auctions, held between 7th and 26th September 2011.

The opportunity for more customers to buy more products at market determined prices continued to attract solid levels of participation from registered businesses across all markets. 111 different businesses based in Belgium, Israel, India and Asia Pacific bid at the auctions, with 38 different companies winning lots. In total, 106 lots were sold.

Sales were made across all product categories with the strongest demand being expressed for products in the Smalls category. Participation grew substantially across all markets except India compared to the last cycle of events (auction cycle six), but fell in all markets except Asia Pacific compared to the last full sales cycle prior to the industry holidays (auction cycle five).

No single buyer won more than 14 lots (2 percent) from the 635 made available. By value, 64 percent of the lots were sold to non-Sightholders with Sightholders winning 36 percent.

For further information about Diamdel, including details of forthcoming auction events, please visit www.diamdel.com.

Contact:

Lynette Gould,
De Beers UK
Tel: +44 (0) 207 430 3509
Cell: +44 (0) 7740 393260

Diamdel stepped ahead of tough competition to be selected for a prestigious Ruban d’Honneur in round two of the European Business Awards sponsored by HSBC. Receiving a Ruban d’Honneur is an impressive achievement and celebrates businesses who demonstrate exceptional performance within their sector. Diamdel will now compete as a finalist within the HSBC growth strategy of the year award and try and win the ultimate prize of a European Business Award.

Diamdel was one of only two companies from Belgium to be given a Ruban d’Honneur and will be at the glittering Awards final in Barcelona on 22nd
November. The Ruban d’Honneur is awarded to up to ten successful entrants in each category. Judges deliberate to select which individuals and businesses
are awarded the Ruban d’Honneur, and it is from the Ruban d’Honneur recipients that the final winner in each category is decided.

Neil Ventura, Diamdel CEO commented ‘‘Receiving a Ruban d’Honneur from the European Business Awards we regard as a real mark of distinction.
The innovative approach Diamdel pioneered to negotiating the sale of rough diamonds has enhanced De Beers’ leadership position. Our success is the result of sustained commitment from our team, our customers and our partners and on behalf of all of them I thank the judges for their consideration and recognition.”

All Ruban d’Honneur recipients will now prepare to appear before a third judging panel of highly regarded academics, heads of state, industrialists, entrepreneurs and media commentators drawn from across the 28 member European States. The interviews will take place in September in London.

Adrian Tripp, Chief Executive of the European Business Awards, said: “Receiving a Ruban d’Honneur is a major success. It promotes the fact that you’re up there with the best businesses across the European community. This year has been tough on the judging panel as we’re seeing businesses emerge from economic difficulties and come out fighting and delivering some great entries. The mood is confident, ebullient and highly competitive.
The gaze of the European business community is well and truly on the Ruban d’Honneur recipients and Diamdel demonstrated real talent in growth
strategy. Together with HSBC we wish Diamdel every success in this next and final round of the European Business Awards.”

John Casey, HSBC Head of Commercial Banking,Continental Europe, commented: “While only a few may be crowned European Business Award winners, all are a reminder of the immense talent creating prosperity across the country and across Europe as a whole. We connect businesses with opportunities internationally every day, and are pleased to see so
many of these businesses pursuing global growth opportunities with a forward-thinking approach. As these winners attest, Europe has a great deal to be
confident about.” 

For further information about Diamdel, please visit
www.diamdel.com.

Contact:

Lynette Gould
De Beers UK
Tel: +44 (0) 207 430 3509
Cell: +44 (0) 7740 393260


Visit: www.businessawardseurope.com

For media enquiries relating to European Business Awards contact:
Emilie Fournet
PR Manager, European Business Awards
Tel: +44 (0) 207 234 3546

Diamdel sold all 410 lots spanning Near Gem, Smalls, Grainers,
+2ct and Large product categories to participants at its fifth
cycle of auctions, held between 28th June and 14th July 2011.
The opportunity for more customers to buy more products at
market determined prices continued to attract strong levels
of participation from registered businesses across all markets.
189 diff erent businesses based in Belgium, Israel, India and Asia
Pacific bid at the auctions, with 89 different companies winning
lots. In total, 410 lots were sold.

During this fifth cycle of events, Diamdel also launched a new
form of auction in which customers were able to express their
demand for diff erent quantities of each product to meet their
business requirements.

Jonathan Whitney, Director of Sales and Marketing commented,
‘‘prices on comparable product sales rose further across all
product ranges, with the greatest gains realised in the ‘Smalls’
and ‘Grainers’ product categories’’.
No single buyer won more than 37 lots (9 percent) from the 410
made available.

By value, 55 percent of the lots were sold to non-Sightholders
with Sightholders winning 45percent.
In terms of the outlook for market demand, Neil Ventura, CEO
of Diamdel said, ‘‘near term demand looks set to remain
robust but may moderate in the medium term, as the dual
challenges of persistently high unemployment in developed
economies, and inflation in emerging markets, temper
demand’’.

 For further information about Diamdel, including details of
forthcoming auction events, please visit www.diamdel.com.

Contact:
Lynette Gould
De Beers UK
Tel: +44 (0) 207 430 3509
Cell: +44 (0) 7740 393260 

Diamdel Auction Update July 2011  

Dubai, UAE; June 8^th 2011: The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority (‘DMCC’), the licensing authority for the Jumeirah Lakes Towers (‘JLT’) free zone, announced today that Diamdel, a De Beers Group business and a market leader in auctioning rough diamonds online, has received its licence to operate in JLT.

The Diamdel Dubai office, the first in the Arab world, will open in August this year, and will be located on the 47th floor of the Almas Tower, JLT’s purpose-built flagship tower and tallest commercial tower in the Middle East. Almas Tower also houses the Dubai Diamond Exchange (‘DDE’), one of the top four international diamond bourses, and is home to more than 500 regional and international diamond and precious gems companies.

Diamdel’s DMCC office will provide registered businesses, from large scale dealers and manufacturers to small and medium sized specialist players, improved access to rough diamond supplies at market-determined prices through online auctions. By the end of Q1 2011, Diamdel had made available for sale 1,854 lots at auction, and nearly 350 companies participated in these auctions across Asia Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East and European markets.

For full details of the announcement, we kindly refer to the press release issued.

2011.06.08 Diamdel joins DMCC

Diamdel made 218 lots available to participants at its secondcycle of auctions, held between 13th April - 3rd May 2011. 

The opportunity for more customers to buy more products at market determined prices continued to attract strong levels of participation from registered businesses across all markets.

161 different businesses based in Belgium, Israel, India and Asia Pacific bid at these auctions, with 72 different companies winning lots. All lots were sold.

Neil Ventura, CEO of Diamdel commented, ‘‘whilst global demand fell back slightly from recent record highs, most notably from Antwerp and Israel based buyers, demand across all markets did remain at higher levels than at any point in 2010. Indeed, consistent demand from Indian based buyers saw them gain a greater share of sales and record demand from Asia Pacifi c translated into record spot sales to buyers in Hong Kong and mainland China. We continue to anticipate strong demand across all product ranges in the near term’’.

From a product perspective demand remained strong across the board with price growth witnessed in +2ct, Grainers and Smalls ranges. Prices for the Near Gem and Large ranges stabilised.

Whilst sales to larger diversified buyers fell back, sales to specialist buyers focusing on a narrow range of products rose to record levels. No single buyer won more than 17 lots (8percent) from the 218 made available.

By value 68 percent of lots were sold to non-Sightholders with Sightholders winning 32 percent. 

For further information about Diamdel, including details of forthcoming auction events, please visit www.diamdel.com

Contact:
Lynette Gould, De Beers UK
Tel: +44 (0) 207 430 3509
Cell: +44 (0) 7740 393260

Strong demand sustained in Q3

Diamdel provided opportunities to buy a full range of rough diamonds during sales events held in Q3 2010 via its online auction channel.

238 lots were made available during Q3 2010 spanning goods in -3gr, 3-8gr and 2-15ct size ranges. Just under 99% of these lots were sold at their first presentation with only 4 lots not meeting reserve.

Neil Ventura, CEO of Diamdel commented ‘’the strong demand we witnessed during the first two quarters of 2010 has been sustained into Q3 with no loss of momentum with Belgium and Israel based businesses continuing to demonstrate the strongest demand. We also witnessed the highest levels of repeat participation of the year so far in Q3 ’’.

Jonathan Whitney, Director of Sales and Marketing added ‘’we were delighted that 157 different companies participated at our events during Q3 and that 81 different winners emerged, 25 of which were new winners. We also saw a rise in the number of participating businesses that seek to purchase a broader range of rough and anticipate continued strong demand for the remainder of the year’’.