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RAPAPORT...
ALROSA and the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) signed a three-year cooperation agreement during ALROSA’s annual client meeting on December 1.
The agreement reinforced strong ties between ALROSA, the world's largest diamond producer by carat volume, and AWDC, Belgium’s diamond trade group, with a commitment to exchange trade information, market intelligence, technology and business opportunities. There is also an opportunity for Russia-based students to learn diamond-grading and sorting through HRD Antwerp.
ALROSA organized
its annual client meeting in Antwerp, where most of ALROSA’s customers under long-term agreements are based. ALROSA reported that demand for rough diamonds has steadily recovered during the third quarter of 2013 following a decline in the middle of the year. The company’s clients affirmed that generic marketing efforts are vital to stimulate diamond jewelry demand and a clear regulation framework is necessary to deal with synthetic diamonds entering the pipeline.
Russia remains one of the most important suppliers of rough diamonds for Antwerp. In the first half of 2013, Antwerp accounted for an impressive 65 percent of all Russian rough exports totaling $1.49 billion for 11.9 million carats.
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