On Wednesday, Israel rejected accusations by a U.N. panel claiming that it is involved in the illegal export and sale of ‘blood diamonds’ from the Ivory Coast.
Shmuel Mordechai, Israel’s Diamond Controller, said he was shocked by the “false accusations” printed in a report to the U.N. Security Council on international compliance with U.N. sanctions imposed on the Ivory Coast.
The panel also named the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Guinea and Liberia as some of the countries that needed to increase efforts to enforce a four-year-old U.N. embargo on buying rough diamonds mined in the Ivory Coast.
“Israel has never dealt in diamond trade with the Ivory Coast,” Mordechai said in a statement. “We are shocked by these false accusations and completely refute them.”
Today the Security Council is expected to renew embargoes on arms and rough diamond sales and other sanctions on the Ivory Coast for another year.
The Ivory Coast report urges Israel to “investigate fully the possible involvement of Israeli nationals and companies in the illegal export of Ivorian rough diamonds.”
New York – The famous 32.01 square Annenberg diamond sold at auction to an unnamed phone buyer on Wednesday. The diamond, known for it’s near-flawlessness, was bought by Leonore Annenberg for her 90th birthday. She died in March at age 91. Christie’s auction house had the gem delivered to her by armed guards in celebration of her birthday.
Annenberg served as the US Chief of Protocol during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, a position that granted her diplomatic status. Her husband, Walter Annenberg, was a billionaire who was both a publisher and the Ambassador to England under Richard Nixon. The Annenberg name gave the diamond even further importance. Richard Annenberg died in 2002.
The Emerald-Cut diamond is set in a ring designed by New York jeweler David Webb, who flanked the center walnut-sized stone with pear-shaped diamonds, one weighing 1.61 carats, and the other 1.51 carats. Although Christie’s set the pre-sale estimate for the masterpiece at $3-$5 million, it was clearly coveted by many, and well exceeded expectations.
New York, NY – Christie’s fall Magnificent Jewels Sale will include several amazing diamonds. The featured piece is the giant 32-carat Annenberg Diamond, which the auction house expects will sell for as much as $5 million.
Although the cut and polished diamond sold at Sotheby’s pulled in over $9 million, it is most likely that the unskilled laborer who found the rough stone is earning about 6,000 rand, or about $713 per month, if he is still employed there.
Luxury jeweler Bulgari is about to celebrate 125 years as one of the world’s most sought-after jewelry brands. To commemorate the occasion, it is teaming up with an unlikely partner: the Poste Italiane, or Italy’s postal service.
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