An official of the De Beers diamond company said that its increase sales since the start of the 2013 calendar year demonstrate that the demand for rough diamonds is increasing, Rough and Polished reports. During its first two online auctions of the year, De Beers sold 98% of its boxes, by value.

De Beers auction sales senior vice president Neil Ventura said the first quarter of 2013 has shown significant improvement over the previous quarter. Ventura added that in some categories, diamonds were receiving a level of interest that hasn't been manifest in twelve months or more. More Israeli buyers purchased diamonds since January than have in the last two years, Ventura said.

De Beers' joint venture De Beers Diamond Jewelry also announced that it will open retail outlets in both Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Baku, Azerbaijan, respectively, according to Diamond Intelligence.