Why Is a Widening Gulf War Lifting Oil but Sinking Gold and Silver?

Macro Snapshot: The week ending 30 October brought the kind of news that once sent buyers into gold. Reuters reported the first known successful limpet-mine strike on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began in February, and Houthi forces claimed strikes on Saudi refineries. Washington ordered non-emergency government staff out of Saudi Arabia amid reports that US strikes on Iran could resume after the 3 November midterm elections. Brent rose 13.6% over October, with the expiring

Read More »

Why Is a Widening Gulf War Lifting Oil but Sinking Gold and Silver?

Macro Snapshot: The week ending 30 October brought the kind of news that once sent buyers into gold. Reuters reported the first known successful limpet-mine strike on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began in February, and Houthi forces claimed strikes on Saudi refineries. Washington ordered non-emergency government staff out of Saudi Arabia amid reports that US strikes on Iran could resume after the 3 November midterm elections. Brent rose 13.6% over October, with the expiring

Read More »

Top News

De Beers Granted New Licences in Botswana, SA

Gaborone: De Beers, which is 85 percent-owned by Anglo American, said it was this year granted four new licences in Botswana, Group head of media relations Lynette Gould told Rough & Polished in an interview. “We have been granted four new licences in Botswana; three in the Tsabong area, and one in the Orapa area,” she said. Gould said the

Read More »

Botswana Faces Deficit as Diamond Sales Fall

Gaborone: Botswana, which relies heavily on diamond revenue, will likely experience a budget deficit due to weak rough diamond sales recorded in the first half of the year, a government official has said. Finance minister Kenneth Matambo announced a P1.23 billion ($120 million) budget surplus projection for the year. However, Mmegi reports that this would likely be hampered by the

Read More »

Only 500 Diamond Cutters Left in Antwerp

Antwerp: The number of diamond cutters working in Antwerp, which is called the capital of the world diamond trade, was reduced to 500 people, said the Swiss newspaper Le Temps. In the 70s of the last century about 30,000 specialists worked in diamond polishing plants in the city on the Scheldt. Cutters working today in Antwerp are highly qualified specialists

Read More »

India’s Gold imports jump 62.2% in July

New Delhi: After declining in June, India’s gold imports jumped 62.2% to $2.96 billion in July, 2015, a development which may have adverse bearing on India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD). Imports of the precious metal stood at $1.82 billion in July, 2014. In June this year, the imports dipped 37 per cent to $1.96 billion. The growth in gold imports

Read More »

Artisan Awards: 800 Entries, 12 Winners

Mumbai: Lights! Camera! Bling! With exquisite jewellery designs on display, models exhibiting artistic pieces, esteemed jury panel from the fashion world gracing the event, the semi-finals of the Artisan Jewellery Design Awards 2014 was nothing short of a fashionable event. With the underlying theme ‘100 years of Indian cinema,’ the evening saw iconic jewellery celebrate Bollywood through four iconic eras

Read More »

Tanzania to Temporarily Ban Gemstones Exports

Dar-Es-Salaam: Tanzania is to impose a moratorium, albeit temporary, on the exportation of gemstones in a bid to “strengthen” the domestic market, according to the local media. The move is also meant to transform Tanzania’s northern tourist city of Arusha into a gemstone centre. Ministry of Energy and Minerals spokesperson Badra Masoud was quoted as saying that the decision would

Read More »

EGL Asia and China's NGGC Renew Agreement

Ramat Gan: The Hong Kong-headquartered EGL Asia and NGGC, the state-owned, leading Chinese diamond grading laboratory, signed an agreement which renews and prolongs the close cooperation between the two institutions. The agreement was signed in Ramat Gan, Israel, during a visit of a Chinese delegation of representatives of the Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology (SIMT) and NGGC. The

Read More »

Gemfields Rakes in $35 Mln From Lusaka Auction

Lusaka: Gemfields said it earned about $35 million in revenue from its latest auction of predominantly higher quality rough emerald from the Kagem emerald mine, which was held in Lusaka, Zambia. The auction, which started on 13 November ended last Monday. It said in a statement that this was the second highest revenue achieved at any higher quality auction. The

Read More »

Latest Videos