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
CIBJO Backs ‘synthetic’ As Sole Label For Man-Made Diamonds
CIBJO’s Laboratory-Grown Diamond Committee, Told Delegates That “Synthetic” Remains The Primary Term Recognized By Consumers, Despite A Formal Push From The Sector’s Steering Committee To Defer The Ruling and Authorize “Laboratory-Grown.”
The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has recommended “synthetic” as the only acceptable descriptor for non-mined diamonds, rejecting calls from trade leaders to permit the term “laboratory-grown,” the organization said on Monday.
The decision, finalized at the closing session of the 2026 CIBJO Congress, deepens a global divide over gemstone terminology at a time when manufactured stones are rapidly eroding the market share and pricing power of mined gems.
CIBJO’s Laboratory-Grown Diamond Committee, told delegates that “synthetic” remains the primary term recognized by consumers, despite a formal push from the sector’s steering committee to defer the ruling and authorize “laboratory-grown.”
CIBJO’s move aligns with a growing regulatory push in several major markets. France restricted terminology to “synthetic” in 2024, Russia followed suit in June, and the London Diamond Bourse endorsed the single descriptor on Sunday. In May, the African Diamond Producers Association also tightened descriptor rules to shield the natural diamond trade.
In contrast, regulators and retailers in the United States and India have favored consumer-friendly phrases such as “lab-grown” or “laboratory-grown.” The commercial stakes are particularly high in the U.S., where synthetic stones now account for more than half of all engagement ring sales by volume, applying severe downward price pressure on natural rough and polished stones.
CIBJO, which began moving to strike “lab-grown” from its influential Diamond Blue Book standards last year, warned that the diverging legal frameworks are leaving the global market increasingly fragmented.
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