Leviev, Tiffany on Namibian Sightholder List
By Rob Bates -- JCK Online, 12/1/2007 2:00:00 AM
Lev Leviev's LLD and Tiffany are among the companies receiving sights for their Namibian factories in the first direct allocations from DTC Namibia. DTC Namibia is the new De Beers subsidiary that distributes diamonds from Namibia's mines to local factories.
Leviev's company was a particularly striking choice. A former sightholder, Leviev began receiving direct supplies from Russia in the 1990s and is now regularly referred to in the media as the man “who broke the De Beers cartel.”
Observers suggested this shows that the Namibian government is in charge of the process, rather than the DTC. Namibia, a major diamond producer long allied with De Beers, has been pushing for greater domestic manufacturing, to expand employment for local workers. Eighteen companies applied; only 11 got allocations. Schachter & Namdar, whose factory was hailed in Namibian press, was not on the list, nor were any Indian companies.
Tiffany received a sight under the name Laurelton-Reign, in partnership with Rand Diamond Group.
Other companies receiving Namibian sights: Almod, AMC, Finesse Diamond, Hard Stone Processing (Seber Group), JKD (Julius Klein), Namcot (Steinmetz), Namgem (Lazare Kaplan), NU Diamond (Sundiamond), and Trau Bros. All except Finesse, LLD, and Seber are currently sightholders of DTC International.
