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On Wednesday October 17th, the new Antwerp Diamond Tender Facility opened.
The average export price per carat of polished diamonds increased from 1,536 U.S. dollar in August to 2,155 U.S. dollar in September. In volume terms, the export of polished diamonds in September 2012 decreased 15.51 percent compared to September 2011 to 617,783 carats. This equals a drop of 18.87 percent in value terms to 1,331,401,437 U.S. dollar. From January to September this year, 5,248,858 carats polished diamonds were exported. This is a decrease of 21.09 percent in volume terms and a downfall of 9.65 percent in value terms compared to exactly one year ago.
The polished import figures of September also declined compared to September last year. In volume terms, we see a decrease of 21.52 percent, which implies a drop of 22.97 percent in value terms. During the first nine months of this year, 5,760,414 carats polished diamonds were imported. Compared to the exact same period last year, this is a drop of 18.31 percent in volume terms but only a 5.3 percent downfall in value.
When we take a look at the figures of rough diamonds in September 2012, we can see a more positive trend. Compared to September 2011, the export of rough diamonds increased 67.61 percent in volume terms and 8.20 percent in value terms. When we take the first 9 months of 2012 into account, we see a downfall of 12.42 percent in volume terms and a drop of 13.06 percent in value terms compared to the first nine months of 2011.
By studying the import figures of rough diamonds in September 2012, we note a 2.09 percent increase in volume terms and a 4.57 percent rise compared to exactly one year ago. From January to September 2012, Antwerp imported 64,017,915 carats rough diamond, which translates into a 19.85 percent downfall in volume terms and a 15.40 percent decrease in value compared to the first nine months of 2011.
On Wednesday August 29, the AWDC welcomed a group of visiting high school students that were victims of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that affected Japan on 11 March 2011.
The students, from the Miyagi prefecture, were invited by Jan Deboutte, Ambassador and currently representing Belgium as President of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research.
At the AWDC they were introduced to the fascinating history of Antwerp and diamonds.
The group of youngsters also visited the Antwerpsche Diamantkring, the world's single bourse for rough diamond trading.
The visit was concluded with a glance behind the scenes of a genuine Antwerp diamond polisher, in the atelier of master polisher Pieter Bombeke.
This summer, ATV, the regional television channel of Antwerp, searches for the icon of the city of Antwerp together with their viewers and ten famous people who live in Antwerp. At the end of the summer, the ATV viewer decides which icon deserves the title ‘Icon of Antwerp’.
Obviously, in this series, diamonds are indispensable. The famous Antwerp actor Herbert Flack proudly defends the Antwerp diamond. The diamond episode airs on Tuesday, August 28 on ATV, after the news.
You can vote via www.agids.be and ensure that the diamond industry rightfully wins the title 'Icon of Antwerp'.
Antwerp, July 24 - 2012. On Tuesday evening, Antwerp's DTC Sightholders, diamond brokers and the AWDC, the umbrella organisation representing the industry, paid tribute to Nicky Oppenheimer, retiring Chairman of the De Beers Group.
During a gala dinner in the scenic surroundings of the Kasteel van Brasschaet, the Antwerp diamond community gathered to commend Nicky Oppenheimer and his family legacy for its immense contribution to the global diamond industry. From its birth as a modern industry in the early 1900s over the fight against conflict diamonds, to the challenges of a globalized economy; the Oppenheimer family has played a prominent role at every stage of the diamond story.
CEO of the AWDC Ari Epstein: "Nicky Oppenheimer continued the legacy of his grandfather and father as a leader of the global diamond family, and not in the least as a pioneer in recognizing the need to adapt to the demands of today's society for sustainable and responsible business models. In gratitude of his tremendous leadership, all the Sightholders and brokers present have donated € 20,000 to four different charitable projects that match those ideas perfectly."
Nicky Oppenheimer, who was accompanied by his wife, said the sale of the Oppenheimer share would be concluded within the next few weeks. "It wasn't easy to make this decision", he said. In his speech, Oppenheimer also called upon the diamond community to continue to live up to diamonds and the unique emotional element they carry within: "although the industry might be going through a rough period, as long as we behave ethically, the emotional impact of diamonds will take us through challenging times. The world is going to recover, and when it does, people will want diamonds as never before". He concluded: "A special thank you, for over 45 years ago, when I first came to Antwerp, for taking me into the diamond family and making us part of the community here and becoming our friends."
In his speech AWDC's President Stéphane Fischler underlined that solid family values of trusteeship form the basis of the Oppenheimers leadership, a link that ties together so many members of the diamond industry in Antwerp and worldwide. He added: "We are deeply grateful for a lifetime in dedication the Oppenheimer’s have given to this industry. Know that, although your family may have chosen to leave the diamond industry, diamonds will never leave your family."
Issued by the Federal Public Service Economy, EU KP Authority, Belgium
