De Beers' sales down 36% on Coronavirus

In a release this morning, the diamond giant noted that the values at the second auction were more than 28% down on the revenues received from the second auction of last year.

De Beers holds 10 auctions of rough diamonds in Gaborone every year, selling rough stones to its exclusive list of buyers known as ‘sightholders’. The diamonds sold primarily come from Botswana but are also mixed with production from De Beers’ mines in South Africa, Namibia and Canada.