De Beers’ sales perk up
Wednesday, January 31, 2024 | 6430 Views |
Glittering riches: Diamonds appear to be clawing their way out a slump PIC: LUCARA
Preliminary receipts from the latest sales, held in Gaborone, were the highest since the seventh sales cycle last year, after which demand tightened even further, reaching COVID-era lows.
Commenting on the latest sales cycle, De Beers’ CEO, Al Cook, said solid consumer demand for diamonds in the United States over the year-end holiday season had “certainly helped” to stabilise the industry. He said there was certainty that polished diamond prices were increasing again.
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...