Firestone chooses Antwerp for its Liqhobong diamonds

Bloomberg News this week reported that Firestone Diamonds selects Antwerp as the market to sell stones from its Liqhobong mine in Lesotho, further confirming the diamond center as the preferred point of sale for diamond producers worldwide. The sales in Antwerp will take place in the form of electronic tenders.

From 2016, Firestone projects a yearly yield of rough diamonds amounting to 1,1 million carats, illustrating the significance of the Liqhobong diamond tenders in Antwerp.

During an interview with Bloomberg News at Firestone’s headquarters in London, CEO Stuart Brown stated, “Antwerp is probably where we go first. We can see the most people in the shortest period of time there”.

AWDC spokesperson Margaux Donckier attributed Firestone’s decision to the recent successful tenders Antwerp hosted and noted that it demonstrates both the Antwerp leadership as the preferred market for rough trade as the diamond company’s “choice for transparent trade”. Ms. Donckier further elaborated on Firestone’s move stating that, “This is also beneficial for the diversity of the sector: besides the big mining companies, the small companies can sell their stones at competitive market prices, which benefits all parties.”

You can read the Bloomberg article here.