International News
US jewellery, watches sales up by 4.4 per cent year-on-year
Sales of watches and jewelry in the US showed further signs of growth in December 2024, up 4.4 per cent year-on-year, according the latest figures from the US Department of Commerce. But there’s been a marked slowdown since the 10 per cent increases of last September and October.
November saw sales up by just 3.0 per cent, revised down from 5.8 per cent based on actual through-the-till transactions rather than estimates. October has been revised up from 9.7 per cent to 10.0 per cent.
The average monthly year-on-year growth for the full year is 5.4 per cent, so December was little below par. Having said that, it was the 15th consecutive month of growth after a long period (the end of 2022 and much of 2023) of falling sales.
International News
De Beers Assumes 100% Control Of Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine
A Global Slump In Diamond Demand Hit The Company Hard. Its Revenue Dropped 42% In 2025, and Average Diamond Prices Plummete
De Beers is taking 100% control of the Gahcho Kué diamond mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Its partner, Mountain Province Diamonds, was facing major financial trouble and agreed to hand over its 49% share in exchange for being cleared of all its debts to De Beers.
​Here is why Mountain Province ran into trouble:
​Falling Diamond Prices: A global slump in diamond demand hit the company hard. Its revenue dropped 42% in 2025, and average diamond prices plummeted—falling to just $36 per carat in the second quarter.
​Massive Debt: Mountain Province was struggling to pay back tens of millions of dollars in short-term loans. Ratings agency S&P warning that the company was at high risk of defaulting on its debts.
​Cost-Cutting and Emergency Funds: To stay afloat, the company paused expansion plans at the mine, delayed payments into environmental cleanup funds, and sold future diamond sales rights to major investor Dermot Desmond (an Irish billionaire) for quick cash.
​Despite selling twice as many diamonds recently, prices were too low to cover their debts.
CEO Jonathan Comerford explained that trade tariffs and Middle East conflicts crushed diamond prices, leaving handing over their share of the mine as the best option to cancel liabilities and secure local jobs.
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