Diamond exports drop 67% in January

Mmegi: "While industry analysts who spoke to BusinessWeek were reluctant to draw conclusions, they said the fact that Firestone's auctions were open meant it was directly exposed to fluctuations in buyers' demand. "De Beers, rather, has contracts binding buyers to supply from its mines and better protecting prices while Firestone's auctions are open," said one analyst. "Rough diamond buyers, who are the cutting and polishing firms, have sensitive financial arrangements and the downturn in Europe is impacting on their access to finance, which in turn lowers their participation in auctions such as those run by Firestone." For 2012, Firestone Diamonds' auctions will be determined by both market conditions in the rough diamond market and production levels at its Lesotho mine."