Gemfields received a gross revenue of $ 15.5 million following a recent auction of raw emeralds and beryls, held in Lusaka, Zambia. At the auction was sold 11.6 million carats of precious stones.
This auction was the first in the current financial year, and the amount of revenue following the bidding was the second largest of all sales of low-quality raw emeralds and beryl.
12.1 million carats of emeralds and beryl were mined at the Kagem mine located in Zambia and formed in 21 lots. The company said that 17 lots were sold at the auction.
According to Gemfields, the average price of realized gems was $ 1.34 per carat, taking into account the sale of 1.5 tons of low-quality beryl. At the same time, the average price of stones of comparable quality was $ 3.61 per carat, which is 9% higher than the corresponding figure at the previous auction of comparable quality products, organized in November 2013 ($ 3.32 per carat).
If you exclude the results of selling 1.5 tons of low-quality beryl, the average price of stones sold at $ 3.61 per carat can be called a record for auctions of low-quality emeralds and beryl.
"We sold a very large quantity of low-quality beryl at a recent auction, we have not seen such sales since November 2011," said Ian Harebottle, CEO of the company.