DiamondBuzz
Lucara nets $54m from two stones from Karowe mine
The luxury brand’s new boutique at the Taj Krishna in Banjara Hills highlights its celebrated fine jewellery and global couture collections.
Lucara raised $54m from the sale of two exceptional stones – weighing 1,080 carats and 549 carats – both recovered at its Karowe mine, in Botswana, it said this week. The 549 carat Type IIa Sethunya diamond was recovered in February 2020 and was sold to the French luxury maison Louis Vuitton.The 1,080 carat Eva Star, recovered in August 2023, was acquired by an unnamed buyer.
Canadian miner Lucara, 100 per cent owner of the mine, said it was “delighted” to announce details of the sales, now that final payments had been received and the goods had been delivered. It did not specify the price achieved by the diamonds individually, but said they’d sold for a combined sum of $54m and had recognized $44m in revenue net of fees, excluding royalties.
“The company received $20m in previous years and following this sale, a further $24m was due, of which $16m and $8m were received in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025 respectively,” Lucara said in a statement. “The sale of these two extraordinary diamonds further validates our investment in the Karowe underground project,” said William Lamb, president and CEO of Lucara. “The unique characteristics of Karowe’s kimberlite, particularly in the South Lobe, continue to amaze us with its ability to produce diamonds of exceptional size and quality.”
DiamondBuzz
GSI detects undisclosed lab-grown diamonds in brown diamond jewelry amid rising demand for off-color naturals
Gemological Science International (GSI), one of the world’s largest gemological organizations, has identified undisclosed lab-grown diamonds in jewelry set with natural brown diamonds. The discovery comes at a critical time, as the global jewelry trade increasingly promotes off-color natural diamonds, such as brown and champagne hues, as unique, fashionable, and affordable alternatives to traditional colorless stones.
Using advanced instrumentation, including Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Diamond View imaging, and Raman spectroscopy with liquid nitrogen cooling, GSI gemologists confirmed that several jewelry items contained lab-grown diamonds mixed alongside natural brown stones. The detected colors ranged from near colorless with faint brown modifiers to fancy dark brown.
This finding builds on GSI’s earlier research into colored lab-grown diamonds, which demonstrated that synthetics can mimic a broad spectrum of natural hues. Together, these results highlight the importance of rigorous screening protocols and transparent disclosure practices to protect both industry stakeholders and consumers.
“As the industry embraces natural brown diamonds, it is essential to safeguard their integrity in the marketplace,” said Debbie Azar, President and Co-Founder of GSI. “Our mission is to ensure consumer confidence by applying advanced science to protect retailers, manufacturers, and the trade — and to support the industry’s efforts to promote natural off-color diamonds with trust and transparency.”
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