Minerals

The government sees opportunities to exploit domestic deposits of rare earths and critical raw materials after restrictions announced by China on exports of gallium and germanium, which are essential raw materials for the manufacture of semiconductors.

Germany, France and Italy have said they would cooperate more closely on the procurement of raw materials as Europe seeks to reduce its reliance on imports from countries such as China.

"Better diversification of our raw material supply is economic security," German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement.

The largest ruby in the world will be offered by Sotheby's in New York in June, the auction house said at a preview in Hong Kong on Apr 17, and is estimated to fetch more than US$30 million.

The discovery of dozens of beakers and bowls in a mummification workshop has helped reveal how ancient Egyptians embalmed their dead, with some "surprising" ingredients imported from as far as Southeast Asia, a study said on Feb. 1.

Although solitaire ring prices range from 5,000 to 300,000 Turkish Liras ($265- $16,000), 80 percent of marriage proposals in Türkiye are made with rings worth around 10,000 liras ($532), the chairman of a diamond brand has stated.

A rare pink diamond has sold in Hong Kong for nearly $58 million, setting a record for price per carat paid at auction for any diamond or gemstone, according to Sotheby's.

The 11.15-carat Williamson Pink Star on Oct. 7 fetched HK$453.2 million ($57.7 million), the second-highest price paid at auction for any jewel, Sotheby's added.

A rare rough ruby dubbed one of the world's biggest has gone on display for the first time ahead of an auction in the Gulf emirate of Dubai.

The 8,400-carat stone, nicknamed Burj Alhamal and weighing 2.8 kilograms, was mined in Tanzania and made its debut at a Dubai hotel on Friday as part of SJ Gold and Diamond's Callisto collection.

Protesters block the E-75 highway in Belgrade, Serbia, 27 November 2021. Anti-government demonstrators blocked roads and bridges in Serbia to protest against new laws they say favor interests of foreign investors devastating the environment. EPA-EFE/ANDREJ CUKIC

First time lucky

An exhibition of drawings by Albanian artist Ina Elezi, based on her conversations with former prisoners who were jailed at Spac, where Albania's Communist regime used political detainees as forced labour, went on display on Sunday at the Destil Creative Hub in Tirana.

"The Enigma," the world's largest known cut diamond at 555 carats, went under the hammer in London on Feb. 9 for 3.16 million British pounds ($4.3 million, 3.8 million euros) having recently gone on display for the first time.

The rare black, or carbanado, diamond is believed to have been created when a meteorite or an asteroid hit Earth more than 2.6 billion years ago.