The industry is going through something of a crisis as De Beers’s buyers grow increasingly frustrated with the cost of rough diamonds as the price of polished gems slump. That’s led to wafer-thin margins and in some cases losses from the stones bought from De Beers and Russian rival Alrosa PJSC.
The sale “saw an improvement in sentiment from rough-diamond buyers,” De Beers Chief Executive Officer Bruce Cleaver said in the statement. “Global consumer demand for diamond jewelry at the retail level continues to be broadly stable but, with midstream trading conditions still in the process of rebalancing, we offered sightholders further flexibility during the sight to provide support.”
De Beers sales so far this year are down more than $1.2 billion from the same time in 2018.