The auction offered 7,894 carats and 15 of the 21 bidders acquired stones.
"We'll have 263 IDE members on the floor showing their goods. This promises a great deal of variety and choice," says IDE General Manager Moti Besser.
The new ruling by the International Standards Organisation explicitly defines a diamond as having been "created by nature" and further notes that "the denomination 'diamond' without further specification always implies 'natural diamond.'"
The euro has strengthened by 0.6% today (Monday) to 4.2 shekels. The Bank of Israel will publish its interest rate decision for August today. The central bank is expected to keep the interest rate unchanged.
The half-year figures for De Beers and Alrosa showed declines in sales and production.
IDE President, Shmuel Schnitzer, "Despite the difficulties, there are opportunities because our competitors, which operate in a financial bubble that is risky, are also undergoing a difficult period and this can work to our advantage."
The IDE said that the number of places is limited so interested IDE members should register straight away.
The Russian diamond mining firm confirmed an ongoing slowdown in global diamond markets in the second calendar quarter.
