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Gemfields Lusaka Emerald Auction Results
PALLINGHURST RESOURCES LIMITED
(Incorporated in Guernsey)
(Guernsey registration Number: 47656)
(South African external company registration number 2009/012636/10)
Share code on the BSX: PALLRES ISIN: GG00B27Y8Z93
Share code on the JSE: PGL
("Pallinghurst" or the "Company")
Announcement of successful Lusaka Emerald Auction
Pallinghurst is pleased to announce the results of an auction of higher quality rough emeralds held by Gemfields
plc (“Gemfields”, which is 100% owned by Pallinghurst), held in Lusaka, Zambia, from 2 – 5 October 2017. The
emeralds were extracted by Kagem Mining Ltd (“Kagem”, which is 75% owned by Gemfields and 25% by the
Government of the Republic of Zambia) in 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 – Emerald Auction
- Auction revenues of US$21.5 million
- Average price of US$66.21 per carat, the second highest price ever achieved
- 100% of the carats offered were sold
- The Kagem auctions held since July 2009 have generated US$495 million in total revenues
The auction saw 36 companies placing bids and generating total revenues of US$21.5 million with a strong
overall average value of US$66.21 per carat, the second highest per carat price achieved by Kagem to date. All
emeralds offered were sold.
Gemfields’s 26 auctions of emeralds and beryl mined at Kagem since July 2009 have generated US$495 million
in total revenues.
The results of the five most recent higher quality Kagem auctions are summarised in the table below:
AUCTION RESULTS Nov ‘14 Sep ‘15 Apr ‘16 Feb ‘17 Oct ‘17
(HIGHER QUALITY) AUCTION AUCTION AUCTION AUCTION AUCTION
13-17 Nov 31 Aug-4 Sep 30 Mar-3 Apr 13-17 Feb 2-5 Oct
Dates 2014 2015 2016 2017 2017
Location Lusaka Singapore Lusaka Lusaka Lusaka
Type Higher Quality Higher Quality Higher Quality Higher Quality Higher Quality
Carats offered 0.60 million 0.60 million 0.56 million 0.42 million 0.32 million
Carats sold 0.53 million 0.59 million 0.47 million 0.35 million 0.32 million
No. of companies placing bids 34 37 33 33 36
Average no. of bids per lot 12 11 9 7 11
No. of lots offered 17 19 18 19 18
No. of lots sold 16 18 16 17 18
Percentage of lots sold 94% 95% 89% 89% 100%
Percentage of lots sold by weight 89% 98% 84% 84% 100%
Percentage of lots sold by value 89% 88% 94% 95% 100%
Total sales realised at auction US$34.9 million US$34.7 million US$33.1 million US$22.3 million US$21.5 million
Average per carat sales value US$65.89/carat US$58.42/carat US$70.68/carat US$63.61/carat US$66.21/carat
The specific auction mix and the exact 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. Each auction naturally
contains a degree of variation in overall quality composition and therefore the results of each auction are not
always directly comparable.
Sean Gilbertson, CEO of Gemfields, commented:
“I am very pleased with the results of this auction. It was, by weight, the smallest auction of Kagem higher quality
emeralds to date, as a result of the reduced production experienced over the past 12 months. The average price
per carat realised was strong, constituting the second highest figure achieved to date. That outcome, and the
fact that 100% of the gems offered were sold, underscores the enduring strength of market demand for
responsibly sourced high quality emeralds from our Kagem mine.”
“The extraordinary “Insofu” emerald, a 6,100 carat emerald mined by Kagem on 5 February 2010, and displaying
wonderful colour and translucency, was purchased at the auction by Rajkumar Tongya of Dia-Color, specialists
in high-value gems. The emerald is named “Insofu” (meaning “elephant” in the vernacular of the Bemba people
indigenous to Zambia’s Copperbelt province in which Kagem is based) in consideration of its size and shape, and
Gemfields’ ongoing desire to support wildlife conservation efforts as part of its wider Corporate Social
Responsibility programme.
We were delighted also that the auction saw the inaugural commercial deployment of the nano-particle
“paternity testing” technology developed by the renowned Swiss laboratory, Gubelin, as first announced by
Gubelin and Gemfields at BaselWorld in April 2017. The nano-particles, carrying a form of synthetic DNA which
tags the emeralds as having been mined at Kagem, allows identification of, inter alia, the mine-of-origin for
decades to come, providing unparalleled traceability. The nano-particles were applied to the highest quality lot
from the auction, which was won by ‘Jewel of Africa’, the first ever Zambian company to win a lot at a Kagem
auction. This means that emeralds mined in Zambia, auctioned in Zambia, cut-and-polished in Zambia and then
mounted in jewellery in Zambia, become the first to deploy this breakthrough in traceability. Our congratulations
go to proprietors Raj and Rashmi Sharma and we are very grateful to Gubelin for their presence at the auction in
overseeing the process.
As always, we extend our thanks to our loyal customers, to the Government of the Republic of Zambia, and to
the hardworking Gemfields team for their sterling efforts in making this auction and the outcome possible.”
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 quality coloured gemstones to the global downstream markets. This is a key component
of Gemfields’ business model which has played an important role in the appropriate distribution and associated
resurgence of the global coloured gemstone sector.
Further information on Gemfields and Pallinghurst can be found at www.gemfields.com and
www.pallinghurst.com.
Guernsey
6 October 2017
Sponsor
Investec Bank Limited
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