Alrosa said sales of rough and polished diamonds in July 2021 totaled $334 million, including proceeds from rough diamond sales of $318 million, and polished diamond sales of $15 million. Year-to-date total rough and polished diamond sales accounted for $2.67 billion, including $2.54 billion of rough diamond sales and $122 million of polished.
Evgeny Agureev, Deputy CEO, Alrosa, said, “In July 2021, jewellery demand remained robust following a strong first half of the year, when it increased an average of 35% and 15% in the US and China (including Hong Kong), respectively, versus the pre-Covid H1 2019. Heading into the second half of the year, the retailers note continued optimism among consumers and their increased interest in diamond jewellery. “This continues to support strong demand for rough diamonds from the midstream, which faced supply shortages as early as May-June 2021, when miners saw their inventories drop to record-low levels. At the moment, the pricing policy presents the only solution to balancing demand and supply. By early August, our rough diamond prices have rebounded to the pre-crisis levels. As a responsible market player, Alrosa will seek to support the demand and supply balance by servicing the real demand only.”