De Beers, Alrosa and Rio Tinto have published their schedules for next year’s contract sales, which account for the bulk of the miners’ rough supply.
De Beers will continue its format of holding 10 sights a year, although the company has been more flexible with the timing of its sales due to the pandemic. Alrosa will also maintain its policy of selling rough on a monthly basis, while Rio Tinto will hold 10 contract sales and several auctions and tenders.
Covid-19 forced the major mining companies to offer concessions to contract customers in 2020 and rearrange many of the logistical aspects of their sales. De Beers, for example, hasn’t held a sight in its usual Botswana location since February, instead bringing goods to other hubs such as Antwerp and Dubai.
De Beers and the Botswana government have expressed willingness for sights to return to Gaborone, the capital, in the first quarter of 2021. However, a recent tightening of the country’s lockdown rules amid the latest coronavirus outbreak has raised questions about whether that will happen.
De Beers sight dates
• Sight 1: January 18 to 22
• Sight 2: February 22 to 26
• Sight 3: March 22 to 26
• Sight 4: May 3 to 7
• Sight 5: June 7 to 11
• Sight 6: July 12 to 16
• Sight 7: August 23 to 27
• Sight 8: October 4 to 8
• Sight 9: November 8 to 12
• Sight 10: December 6 to 10
Alrosa Alliance contract sales
• January 15 to 21
• February 15 to 19
• March 15 to 19
• April 12 to 16
• May 11 to 14
• June 15 to 18
• July 12 to 16
• August 9 to 13
• September 13 to 17
• October 7 to 8 and 11 to 13
• November 8 to 12
• December 6 to 10
Rio Tinto contract sales
• January 18 to 22
• February 22 to 26
• March 22 to 26
• April 26 to 30
• June 14 to 18
• July 26 to 30
• September 13 to 17
• October 25 to 29
• November 22 to 26
• December 16 to 22
