Tzoffey’s 1818, the Israeli-French auction house, announced it will add a 600+-carat rough diamond to its tender during the March 9-13 International Rough Diamond Week (IRDW) at the Israel Diamond Exchange.
The rough stone was sourced from an African mine and will bring additional excitement to the five-day rough diamond festival at the bourse. According to Tzoffey’s president Avner Sofiov, the stone is cleavable which, once planned and cut, will render a number of larger polished diamonds.
“I am very excited to include such a large stone in the Tzoffey’s tender in March,” Sofiov said. “The International Rough Diamond Week is a joint project of the entire Israeli diamond industry to boost our country’s position as an international rough diamond trading hub. We’re honored to be contributing to that joint effort,” Sofiov stated. He noted that more than 200 participants had scheduled viewings for the Tzoffey’s tender alone .
Meanwhile, IDE Deputy President Arnon Juwal, who heads the IRDW organizing committee, said the International Rough Diamond Week was continuing to gain in strength. "We closed registration a few days ago as we reached the limit of registered participants for the tender week. With a full house, we’re putting the finishing touches to the modifications of the rough diamond trading hall to be able to host the viewing of the tenders and create a comfortable and effective environment for this exciting business venture.
Juwal said that around 350 diamantaires - from Israel, India, Belgium and the USA - will view the rough diamonds of the IDE Tender Facility, Fusion/I Hennig Tenders, De Beers Auction Sales, Rio Tinto and Tzoffey’s.
