Diamond sales rise at Anglo's De Beers

Anglo American said on Wednesday that the value of rough diamond sales at its De Beers unit rose in the first cycle of the year amid solid demand.

The value increased to $660m from $336m in the tenth cycle of last year, but was down from $663m in the first cycle of 2021.

De Beers chief executive officer Bruce Cleaver said: "As anticipated, there was strong growth in consumer demand for diamond jewellery over the end of year holiday season.

"As a result, we saw the continuation of robust rough diamond demand in the first sales cycle of the year as buyers focus on restocking depleted inventories."