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Record Emerald Auction Results

Published: 2023-06-02 09:00:20 ET
<<<  go to JSE:GML company page
                           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")




Record Emerald Auction Results
LONDON, 2 JUNE 2023


Gemfields is pleased to announce the results of an emerald auction comprised of higher-quality
rough emeralds held during the period 15 May - 1 June 2023.

Highlights: June 2023 Higher-Quality Emerald Auction

     •    Total auction revenues of USD 43.7 million, an all-time revenue record for any Kagem
          emerald auction
     •    35 lots were offered for sale, of which 35 were sold (100%)
     •    Average realised price of USD 165.55 per carat, an all-time record for any Gemfields
          emerald auction
     •    All-time record for price-per-carat paid for a single auction lot
     •    The 45 auctions of Kagem gemstones held since July 2009 have generated USD 964
          million in total revenue

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

“Gemfields’ second auction of 2023 has yielded a positively surprising outcome. In our last auction of November
2022, we saw the market normalise appreciably when compared with the exuberance of the first half of 2022. We
are delighted today to see the market rebound sharply once again, underpinning the step-change in market pricing
which we reported in 2022. This is our 45th auction of Kagem emeralds since 2009 and to see no fewer than three
records fall (the highest-ever revenue, the highest-ever average price per carat for an emerald auction and the highest-
ever price per carat paid for a single auction lot) certainly puts the proverbial smile on my dial.”

The auction lots were made available in Bangkok for private, in-person viewings by customers.
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.

The rough emeralds were extracted 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 price achieved at the auction.


    Gemfields Group Limited, Royal Chambers, St Julian’s Avenue, St Peter Port, GY1 4HP, Guernsey
                                      T +44 (0)1481 731 554
                                         gemfieldsgroup.com
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):



   AUCTION            Mar-Apr ’21 Nov-Dec ’21         May ’22        Nov ’22               Jun ’23
   RESULTS            AUCTION AUCTION AUCTION AUCTION                                   AUCTION
   (HIGHER            (5 sequential (5 sequential (5 sequential (5 sequential           (5 sequential
   QUALITY)           mini-auctions) mini-auctions) mini-auctions) mini-auctions)      mini-auctions)
                        15 Mar –        1 Nov –       9-26 May      30 Oct – 17        15 May – 1 Jun
   Dates
                      17 Apr 2021     6 Dec 2021        2022         Nov 2022               2023
                        Various/       Various /     Bangkok /      Bangkok /            Bangkok /
   Location
                         Online          Online        Online         Online               Online
                         Higher          Higher        Higher         Higher               Higher
   Type
                         Quality        Quality        Quality        Quality              Quality
   Carats offered     0.273 million 0.251 million 0.278 million 0.426 million           0.264 million
   Carats sold        0.271 million    0.251 million   0.278 million   0.401 million    0.264 million
   No. of
   companies                59              58              62               50              69
   placing bids
   No. of lots
                            37              32              38               37              35
   offered
   No. of lots sold         36              32              38               34              35
   Percentage of
                           97%            100%             100%             92%            100%
   lots sold
   Percentage of
   lots sold by            99%            100%             100%             94%             100%
   weight
   Total sales
                        USD 31.4        USD 37.8         USD 43.3        USD 30.8        USD 43.7
   realised at
                         million         million          million         million         million
   auction
   Average per
                          USD             USD             USD              USD             USD
   carat sales
                       115.5/carat     150.65/carat    155.90/carat    * 76.78/carat    165.55/carat
   value


* Includes the 37kg Kafubu Cluster, which comprised 44% of the weight offered at the auction.

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.



                                             -ENDS-




Gemfields Group Limited                                                                  Page 2 of 4
               Further information on Gemfields Group Limited can be found at:
                                      GEMFIELDSGROUP.COM




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


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


This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse
Regulation (EU) no. 596/2014 which forms part of domestic UK law pursuant to the European Union
(withdrawal) act 2018 ("MAR").



                                           ENQUIRIES




 GEMFIELDS                         Sean Gilbertson / David Lovett / Ian Hughes
                                   ir@gemfields.com
                                   T: +44(0) 20 7518 3400


 SPONSOR (JSE)                     Investec Bank Limited


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


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


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




ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON GEMFIELDS


Gemfields is a world-leading responsible miner and marketer of coloured gemstones. Gemfields is
the operator and 75% owner of both the Kagem emerald mine in Zambia (believed to be the


Gemfields Group Limited                                                                Page 3 of 4
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 licences 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 through Fabergé designs, 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 that 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




Gemfields Group Limited                                                                  Page 4 of 4