The De Beers June sight closed with an estimated value of $550 million. Diamond prices were reportedly stable at the sight, while sightholders noted a slight increase in the box price of larger goods. Some added that De Beers also improved the assortment quality on those same boxes.
Sightholder sentiment remained negative at the sight as manufacturers stated that polishing rough diamonds at current prices is still unprofitable. However, the amount of rejections at the sight was small.
“De Beers has made gestures to sightholders that it understands the situation in the market and the lack of profitability in the midstream, but it still has not done enough to address the situation,” said a sightholder with manufacturing operations in southern Africa.
The sightholder added that he expected polished demand for diamonds larger than 3 carats would remain soft until the end of 2015, with perhaps a small pickup during the Christmas shopping season.
De Beers boxes were trading on the secondary market at small premiums and on credit terms that averaged between 60 days and 90 days. While many boxes are still being traded below cost, the prevailing prices and credit terms constitute a small improvement in the market compared with recent months.
