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GEMFIELDS GROUP LIMITED - Emerald Auction Results

Release Date: 19/04/2021 08:00
Code(s): GML     PDF:  
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Emerald Auction Results

Gemfields Group Limited                          
Incorporated in Guernsey. Guernsey registration Number: 47656.
South African external company registration number 2009/012636/10
Share code on JSE: GML / AIM: GEM
ISIN: GG00BG0KTL52 | LEI: 21380017GAVXTCYS5R31
("Gemfields" or the "Company")


Emerald Auction Results

LONDON, 19 APRIL 2021


Gemfields is pleased to announce the results of an emerald auction comprising a series of five sequential
mini-auctions held during the period 15 March – 17 April 2021. The auction contained a selection of grades
that are typically offered at Kagem Mining Ltd’s (“Kagem”) auctions of higher quality emeralds. Selected
lots were made available for in-person and private viewings by customers in Tel Aviv, Dubai and Jaipur.
Following the viewings, the auctions took place via an online auction platform specifically adapted for
Gemfields and which permitted customers from multiple jurisdictions to participate in a sealed-bid process.

Operations at Kagem were suspended in March 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and remained
suspended until March 2021 in order to preserve cash during difficult market conditions. It is expected that
mining operations at Kagem will ramp back up to full scale by the end of April 2021.

The rough emeralds sold at the auction were all extracted, prior to March 2020, from the mining licence
held and operated by Kagem (which is 75% owned by Gemfields and 25% by the Industrial Development
Corporation of Zambia). The proceeds of this auction will be fully repatriated to Kagem in Zambia, with
all royalties due to the Government of the Republic of Zambia being paid on the full sales prices achieved
at the auction.

Highlights – March & April 2021 Emerald Auction

    -   Operations at the Kagem emerald mine were suspended from March 2020 to March 2021
    -   All emeralds sold at this auction were mined prior to March 2020
    -   Total auction revenues of USD 31.4 million
    -   Average price of USD 115.59 per carat
    -   Of the 37 lots offered, 36 were sold (97%)
    -   99% of the carats offered at the auction were sold

The auction saw 59 companies placing bids and generating total revenues of USD 31.4 million with an
overall average value of USD 115.59 per carat. The auction saw 97% of the number of lots, and 99% of the
offered carats, being sold. Gemfields’ 37 auctions of emeralds and beryl mined at Kagem since July 2009
have generated USD 688.8 million in total revenues.

The results of the five most recent higher quality Kagem auctions are summarised in the table below (and
earlier results are available at www.gemfieldsgroup.com):



                                                                                                      Nov-Dec ‘20          Mar-Apr ‘21
AUCTION RESULTS
                                 Nov ‘18                 May ‘19                  Nov ‘19              AUCTION              AUCTION
(HIGHER
                                AUCTION                 AUCTION                  AUCTION              (5 sequential        (5 sequential
QUALITY)
                                                                                                      mini-auctions)       mini-auctions)
                                14-17 Nov                14-17 May               18-21 Nov               2 Nov –             15 Mar –
Dates                              2018                     2019                    2019               11 Dec 2020          17 Apr 2021
                                                                                                        Various/             Various/
Location                        Singapore               Singapore                Singapore                Online               Online
Type                          Higher Quality          Higher Quality           Higher Quality         Higher Quality       Higher Quality
Carats offered                 0.57 million            0.43 million             0.36 million           0.23 million        0.273 million
Carats sold                    0.42 million            0.31 million             0.32 million           0.18 million        0.271 million
No. of companies
placing bids                         40                       45                      48                     47                   59
Average no. of bids
per lot                               8                      8                         9                     11                   18
No. of lots offered                  26                      35                       38                     28                   37
No. of lots sold                     20                      28                       33                     24                   36
Percentage of lots sold             77%                     80%                      87%                    86%                  97%
Percentage of lots sold
by weight                           74%                     72%                      88%                  80%                  99%
Total sales realised at                                                                                 USD 10.9             USD 31.4
auction                     USD 28.4 million         USD 22.4 million        USD 27.2 million            million              million
Average per carat sales                                                                                USD 59.84 /          USD 115.59 /
value                       USD 68.03/carat          USD 71.85/carat          USD 85.26/carat             carat                carat


The specific auction mix and the quality of the lots offered at each auction vary in characteristics such as
size, colour and clarity on account of variations in mined production and market demand. Therefore the
results of each auction are not always directly comparable.

Prices achieved during the series of mini-auctions held in November and December 2020 were robust and
in a number of instances comfortably exceeded bids received in pre-Covid-19 auctions. Some of the finer
qualities of emerald were not offered at the November and December 2020 sales and this resulted in a
slightly lower average price per carat for that auction series. By contrast, the March and April 2021 sales did
include the finer qualities of emerald that were not offered in the November and December 2020 sales and
this has contributed to the increased price per carat achieved in the most recent auction series. Combining
the results from the November-December 2020 sales with those from the March-April 2021 sales provides
a more balanced view, with an average sales price of USD 93.21 per carat, an all-time high.

Adrian Banks, Gemfields’ Managing Director of Product & Sales, commented:

“This was Kagem’s highest auction revenue since March 2016 and we were very pleased to see such strong demand and pricing.
Because operations were suspended at Kagem in March 2020, the world’s largest emerald mine produced no new emeralds for
more than a year. Due to the arising supply and demand dynamics, a number of our clients have therefore seen this auction as
a vital opportunity to purchase emeralds. Today’s result also means that Kagem has already surpassed the aggregate auction
revenues achieved in the whole of 2020, which stood at just USD 22.4 million as a result of the fall-out from the Covid-19
pandemic.

When combined with the ruby auction results announced on 8 April 2021, Gemfields’ aggregate auction revenue for 2021 to
date stands at USD 90.3 million, a very satisfactory position from which to approach the rest of the year.


Gemfields is excited to be back in business after the lengthy pause in both mining and sales and - as always - we extend our
sincere thanks to our hard-working teams, to our host governments in Mozambique and Zambia, and to our customers for
their ongoing support.”


                                                         -ENDS-




                      Further information on Gemfields Group Limited can be found at:
                                                GEMFIELDSGROUP.COM




                                  To join our investor mailing list, contact us on:
                                         companysecretary@gemfields.com


                                    For any press enquiries please contact us on:
                                              gemfields@camarco.co.uk
ENQUIRIES



 GEMFIELDS
                                        Sean Gilbertson / David Lovett / Mark Lawrie
                                        T: +44(0) 20 7518 3400


 SPONSOR (JSE)                          Investec Bank Limited


 SEDIBELO SALE PROCESS
                                        Liberum
                                        Nehal Patel
                                        T: +44(0) 20 3100 2222


 NOMINATED ADVISER
                                        finnCap
 (AIM) & JOINT BROKER
                                        Christopher Raggett / Tim Redfern / Edward Whiley
                                        T: +44(0) 20 7220 0500


 JOINT BROKER
                                        Liberum
                                        Clayton Bush / Scott Mathieson / Kane Collings
                                        T: +44(0) 20 3100 2222



 FINANCIAL PR/ IR
                                        Camarco
                                        Gordon Poole / Nick Hennis
                                        T: +44(0) 20 3757 4980




ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON GEMFIELDS




Gemfields is a world-leading supplier of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones. Gemfields is the operator
and 75% owner of both the Kagem emerald mine in Zambia (believed to be the world’s single largest
producing emerald mine) and the Montepuez ruby mine in Mozambique (one of the most significant
recently discovered ruby deposits in the world). In addition, Gemfields also holds controlling interests in
various other gemstone mining and prospecting licenses in Zambia, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Madagascar.


Gemfields’ outright ownership of Fabergé - an iconic and prestigious brand of exceptional heritage - enables
Gemfields to optimise positioning, perception and consumer awareness of coloured gemstones, advancing
the wider group’s “mine and market” vision.


Gemfields has developed a proprietary grading system and a pioneering auction and trading platform to
provide a consistent supply of coloured gemstones to downstream markets, a key component of Gemfields’
business model and has played an important role in the growth of the global coloured gemstone sector.



                                                GEMFIELDS

                             GEMFIELDS.COM | INVESTORS |FOUNDATION

                             INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE




                                                 FABERGÉ

                    FABERGÉ.COM | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE




                                        KAGEM MINING LINKEDIN

                                   MONTEPUEZ RUBY MINING LINKEDIN





Date: 19-04-2021 08:00:00
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