DE Beers, the world’s biggest diamond producer, said the strong demand that typified the first half of the year should continue throughout the second.
The South African firm’s profits were up 12.8 per cent to Ł231 million on sales up 2.2 per cent at Ł1.62 billion.
De Beers - which is 45 per cent-owned by mining group Anglo American, with the rest under the control of South Africa's Oppenheimer family and the government of Botswana - said consumer markets had reported good growth in retail sales of diamond jewellery during the first half of 2004.
