/ 17 February 2000

DIAMOND PRICES LIKELY TO RISE

DIAMOND Trading Company (DTC), the company responsible for sales within the De Beers Central Selling Organisation, said on Wednesday it will rebalance its price book. This will mean an overall increase in rough diamond prices across all categories sold by the DTC. DTC said a strong demand and some reduction in supply of the lower quality diamonds, predominantly polished in India, are exerting upward pressure on prices and ”some adjustment in relevant prices is therefore appropriate”.