RAPAPORT... Dominion Diamond Corp.'s rough diamond sales rose 7 percent year on year to $187.7 million in the first quarter that ended on April 30. Revenue from the company's Ekati diamond mine jumped 37.3 percent to $127.4 million for 710,000 carats sold, while the company's 40 percent share of sales from the Diavik mine fell 27.1 percent to $60.3 million for 544,000 carats sold. The company excluded from the Ekati total approximately 100,000 carats of material from the Misery satellite and northeast pipes that were produced during the pre-commercial period and garnered $6.9 million. Production from Ekati jumped 43.3 percent year on year to 804,000 carats during the first quarter. Dominion's share of production at the Diavik mine fell 17.7 percent to 604,000 carats. Rough diamond inventory that was available for sale at the close of the quarter was approximately 700,000 carats with a market value of $140 million, according to the company's calculations. In addition, Dominion held approximately 800,000 carats in inventory that it defined as "work in progress."
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