Kristall could buy more rough diamonds from De Beers
MOSCOW. April 2 (Interfax) - Smolensk Kristall, Russia's biggest cut diamond producer, is thinking of buying more rough diamonds from De Beers, Kristall said in a statement.
Maxim Shkadov, CEO of Kristall and President of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), discussed the issue with Paul Rowley, Executive Vice President of De Beers Global Sightholder Sales, in Botswana on April 1.
Kristall currently buys around 4% of its rough diamonds at De Beers sights. It has been a De Beers sightholder for 15 years. Kristall buys 70% of its diamonds from Russia's Alrosa under a long-term deal.
Kristall said officials from Botswana's government and Okavango Diamond Company expressed an interest "in adopting the experience of a company with a more than half a century's history in the field of diamond processing."
"Kristall is interested in widening the co-operation, and is ready to share its expertise and technologies, arrange personnel training, deliver equipment and organize its service maintenance in Botswana," Kristall's Shkadov said.