EGL PRESIDENT, GUY MARGEL,
PASSES AWAY
EGL worldwide president, Guy Margel, passed away on Wednesday, 7 March at the age of 69. Margel was born on 3 January 1943 in Belgium and completed his gemmological training in the USA in the late 1960s. In 1973, Margel opened the first European Gemological Laboratory in Antwerp. READ MORE…

CERTIFIED POLISHED DIAMOND PRICES FALL 1,8% IN FEBRUARY
Certified polished diamond prices softened in February. According to a statement released by Rapaport last week, Far East demand was steady, as evidenced at the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show. However, buyers remain cautious about the first half of 2012 as economic uncertainties persist and diamond trading is restrained. READ MORE…

CHINA TAKES LEAD IN ONLINE
WATCH SEARCHES
China has replaced the United States as the country with the biggest demand for luxury watches based on online searches, according to the World Watch Report, an online survey of more than 1 billion Internet users. READ MORE…

NELSPRUIT EXHIBITION TRAINING WORKSHOP: 15-16 MARCH 2012
EMIA, an Export Marketing Incentive Fund administered by the Department of Trade and Industry, annually funds and coordinates National Pavilions on almost all of the continents as specific trade exhibitions. In an effort to ensure that South African exporters exhibiting on these pavilions are properly trained and skilled, EMIA is planning to host a National Pavilion Exhibitor Training Programme. READ MORE…

MD ELI AVIDAR: ISRAELI DIAMOND INDUSTRY IS AN ISLAND OF STABILITY
The Israeli Diamond Industry's annual press lunch at Baselworld presented topics of interest to the diamond industry as well as to citizens of the world. The lunch took place at the Basel Convention Centre, in the Osaka – Samarkand Congress Room. READ MORE…

ALROSA'S SALES +21%
ALROSA's sales of rough and polished diamonds in the first two months of 2012 rose 21% to US$694 million, the company reported. ALROSA reported sales of US$574 million for the corresponding period in 2011. READ MORE…