The Panamanian bank Multibank, which also operates in Costa Rica and Colombia, became the first financial institution to lease an office in the Panama Gem & Jewelry Center building of the first stage. The new branch of the bank will specialize in servicing the diamond and jewelry business.
The presence of a banking institution in the center's complex will expand the range of services provided to its resident companies. By providing services tailored to the needs of companies operating in the diamond, color gem and jewelry industry, Multibank will be the first financial institution in Latin America specializing in this sector.
"The ability of Latin America to become a new major jewelry market in the world and Panama's proven ability to act as a professional, efficient, service-oriented business platform is the key to winning a formula," said Isaac Btesh, CEO of Multibank. - The availability of free working capital, financial competence and knowledge of international banking are the "fuel" that nourishes and ensures the smooth operation of the "engine". Multibank is ready to provide all this in the gem and jewelery sector in Panama. "
The founder of the Panama Diamond Exchange (PDE), Eli Izhakoff (Eli Izhakoff) noted that "this is the most important stage in the development of the Center." "It is especially gratifying that the first bank in the complex was a local credit and financial institution, which underlines the high degree of confidence of the regional financial community in relation to this project," he said.
The PDE-controlled project for the creation of the Panamanian Center for Precious Stones and Jewelry worth $ 200 million is the largest and most ambitious initiative ever undertaken in the interests of jewelry trade in Latin America. The center will serve as a trading platform for local and international companies on the market, which today is estimated at $ 8 billion and has 11,500 retail outlets in 20 countries and 23 islands.

Sarine Technologies Ltd, the world leader in cutting-edge technology solutions for the diamond industry, today announced that it will present its latest diamond visualization products at the Hong Kong Jewelery & Gem Fair in Hong Kong on September 15-19.
The latest development of Sarine - Real View - is a complement to the Sarine LoupeTM magnifier and provides an ideal display of diamonds exhibited for online sale. The new technology gives a clear, stunningly realistic representation of how a diamond looks, complementing Sarine LoupeTM's ability to evaluate the cut and polished diamonds with unsurpassed precision and quality, allowing the buyer to make a truly informed purchase decision.
The improved Sarine LoupeTM magnifier has two complementary image layers. The first provides an amazingly reliable picture of the appearance of the diamond, and the second displays the finest details of its faceting and internal characteristics.
The patented Sarine technology allows you to create a virtual three-dimensional diamond - which is not capable of any other imaging device, and also allows you to increase the image to a scale comparable only to the capabilities of microscopes.
The instant visualization technology available anywhere in the world allows customers to more quickly than ever to view large quantities of stones, which significantly reduces the time of sale and creates competitive advantages for both sellers and buyers.

Indian company Dharmanandan Diamonds at the Hong Kong Jewelery & Gem Fair, which will be held from September 15 to 19, will present the Virtual Showcase, designed to showcase diamond products in 3D format. In recent years, the company has already presented several technological products for the diamond industry that help make retail trading platforms more modern and radically change the ways of acquiring diamonds.
 In 2010, Dharmanandan Diamonds successfully entered the market with an app for the iPad, and in June of this year, at an exhibition in Las Vegas, introduced i-Seller. Unlike the latter, the more advanced technology "Virtual exhibition stand" allows sellers to demonstrate to buyers 3D video of diamonds with an overview of 360 ° on a large screen directly in the showroom, while ensuring a high realism of the image.
"Innovations are part of the DNA of Dharmanandan and are aimed at supporting our strategy, which aims to increase the efficiency of retailers and increase the surplus value of their businesses. We encourage our retailers to evaluate the advantages of these devices, not only individually, but also in their possible combinations, "explained the director of the company Vipul Sutariya.
To install the "Virtual Exhibition Stand" is almost no cost, it can easily buy any jewelry retailer. The application is compatible with the software and hardware currently used by most participants in this market sector and allows you to directly access other products of the company.
"Virtual exhibition stand" will be available for retailers all over the world immediately after its presentation at the upcoming fair in Hong Kong.

Antwerp's trade in rough diamonds in August surpassed the same month in 2013, both in the import and export segments, and continued the positive trading trend this year. The import and export of diamonds also increased slightly by August of last year, when trade figures were relatively modest, reported the Antwerp World Diamond Center (AWDC).
The diamond trade continued to develop positively in August, further strengthening the good indicators that have been observed since the beginning of the year. Compared with August 2013, imports increased by 16% in volume and by 30% in value - by 6.75 million carats and $ 1.1 billion, respectively. Trade for exports was also very successful with growth of 31% in physical terms and 36% in value terms. 4.74 million carats worth $ 675 million were exported. The
difference in polished diamond imports in August compared to the same month of 2013 was small, with a decrease of 3% in volume and 7% in value at 502,000 carats for a total of $ 833 million. Indicators of polished exports were slightly lower than last August, it decreased by 15% in physical terms and by 12% in value terms: to almost 222 thousand carats and $ 484 million.
AWDC also notes both the growth and decline in the volume of polished exports, depending on the country. In the US, in August, exports rose 26% to just above 38,000 carats and 16% to a value of $ 155 million, which is a normalization of trade due to lower figures in August 2013. Exports to the UAE fell by 44% in volume to just over 25 thousand carats and by 40% at a cost - up to $ 26 million. Compared to August 2013, exports to China were characterized by a sharp increase in both physical and value terms that is the result of a significant decline in last year's trading indicators. The growth of exports to China increased by 94% in volume - up to 15 thousand carats for $ 23 million.
In the diamond import segment, an increase in shipments from Hong Kong was recorded: by 47% in volume and 41% by value - to about 98 thousand carats for $ 134 million. The volume of imports from Israel increased by 104%, but fell by 8% , despite the fact that there was an influx of less expensive stones to Antwerp.

Tiffany & Co will begin using the new automated diamond symmetry evaluation system developed by Israeli Sarine Technologies Ltd. This is stated in a press release of the manufacturer of equipment for the diamond and diamond industry - the company Sarine.
In 2011, Tiffany asked Sarine to develop a system for very accurate estimation of the symmetry of the stones in terms of parameters that had previously been measured visually by microscopes.
The result of a huge research work was the creation of the DiaMension ™ Axiom system, based on advanced video analysis using microscopes.
"The accuracy of DiaMension ™ Axiom has been tested by Tiffany & Co and will now be used to consolidate the new high standard of symmetry of diamonds," the report said.
The new technology can be used to evaluate diamonds of round and fancy cut. The Axiom is able to measure even the smallest details of a precious stone - such as the closing of faces, the correctness of their juxtaposition and the unevenness on their surface - necessary for an accurate assessment of the symmetry of the stone.

A new international analytical center is being created, the World Diamond and Jewelery Forum (WDJF), whose main task is to provide market participants in the diamond and jewelry sectors with all the information about the problems they face, and to consider and suggest alternative strategies for data solutions problems.
The work of the center will be carried out with the assistance of the leading Italian business platform, the organizer of trade fairs and the service provider of the company Fiera di Vicenza, according to a press release received by Rough & Polished.
The creation of the analytical center was announced by the President of Fiera di Vicenza Matteo Marzotto (Matteo Marzotto) before the start of the VICENZAORO Fall trade fair in Vicenza. He also introduced the leadership of the forum.
Eli Izhakoff, the honorary lifelong president of the World Diamond Council (WDC), the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the World Jewelery Confederation (CIBJO), will chair the WDJF.
Gaetano Cavalieri, president of the World Jewelery Confederation (CIBJO) will become president of the WDJF.
Vicenza CEO Corrado Facco will be the general director of WDJF.
"We see an organization that for our industry will become something like the World Economic Forum in Davos and at the same time serve the interests of a broader financial community," Marzotto said.
In the coming months, the organizational structure and work plan of WDJF will be presented. The new organization plans to hold its first public forum together with the first show of VICENZAORO DUBAI, which will be held in Dubai from April 23 to 26, 2015.

The Israeli Diamond Exchange (IDE) and the Diamond Dealers Club of New York (DDC) announced the holding of the third Israeli Diamond Week in New York, which will be held in the club's trading floor in downtown Manhattan from 10 to 13 November. The event is annually held at the initiative of both exchanges to strengthen trade ties and stimulate business between diamond suppliers and their customers. "The New York Diamond Business Community and the Israeli diamond industry are closely interlinked," said IDE President Shmuel Schnitzer, "Israel is a key supplier of higher quality diamonds to the US market, and New York, especially DDC, is the gateway to supplies from Israel. " "Undoubtedly, the synergy of diamond trade between Israel and New York is really unique, but I am amazed, that despite close relations between our centers, when we hold such events, many people meet each other for the first time, "said DDC President Reuven Kaufman, who said that the format of the diamond weeks in New York has proved successful. About 100 Israeli companies will be able to apply for and participate in the diamond week and the registration will open in mid-September, after the jewelry exhibition in Hong Kong is closed. "The event was chosen to give manufacturers, retailers and designers a wonderful opportunity to replenish their stocks, taking into account the fact that they are all actively preparing for the Christmas season, "Kaufman added. - Recent reports indicate that in the whole of the US sales from retailers increased by about 5%. We hope,

Indian diamond handlers took an active part in applying for registration as De Beers sightholders to ensure the supply of rough diamonds for the contract period 2015-2018.
From 25 to 29 August, De Beers, which provides 40% of the world's diamond supply, registered pre-applications from diamond processing companies for the contract period 2015-2018.
"Indian processors handle the supply of rough diamonds needed for various types of business, including diamond cutting and polishing," explained Vipul Shah, chairman of the Gems and Jewelery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), the Indian Council for the Export of Gems and Jewelry, "Thus, aggressive participation in the registration of De Beer sightholders makes sense."
According to a number of sources, the number of applicants from India increased by 15-20% compared to the previous registration, conducted three years ago. In 2012 - 2015, India accounts for more than half of the 83 De Beers sightholders selected. Of the remaining companies, the majority are Indian manufacturing enterprises in Antwerp (Belgium), South Africa, China and Hong Kong.
Commenting on the recent decline in exports of Indian diamonds, Sabyasachi Ray, Executive Director of the Board, noted that "exports can not fall below a certain level." "In this regard, there is a need for certainty in the matter of raw materials: De Beers receives only 40-42% of diamonds from their own production volumes, hence Indian processors should be guided by the long-term objectives."

A recent study conducted by the All India Gem & Jewelery Traders Federation (GJF) showed that between April and August of the current fiscal year, gold bullion sales and gold coins in India fell by 70%.
According to the authors of the study, the demand for gold coins and ingots in this period fell sharply due to the fact that investors as a whole lost interest in the yellow metal. The data of the World Gold Council also show that in the second quarter of 2014, investment demand for gold fell by 67% compared to the same period a year earlier.
Investors' interest in gold is weakened by the growth of stock markets. The volume of investments in this sector is expected to increase in the near future on the background of signs of economic recovery. Accordingly, we can predict a further decline in investment in gold.

The well-known jewelry retailer Pure Gold Jewelers opened its largest retail store in Dubai's Meena Bazaar shopping area after a complete upgrade. According to the information available, the Indian jewelry group spent almost $ 7 million to upgrade the retail point, which has become one of the largest stores selling gold products in the region.
According to the company, the modernization work was carried out within the framework of celebrating the decade of the group. In the acquired stylish modern look the store presents an extensive collection of gold and diamond jewelry.
The company plans by 2018 to invest $ 135 million in upgrading existing points and doubling the number of trading sites in the UAE and neighboring countries. Only since the beginning of this year Pure Gold Jewelers has opened 10 new stores in the member countries of the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.
Pure Gold Jewelers is one of the most dynamically developing jewelry brands, the company owns 125 stores in 10 countries. For five consecutive years, since 2009, the company's stores have been categorized as "superbrand" by the UAE Superbrand Council. It is expected that rapid expansion in the region will help the company in the next five years to double its revenue.