Sight 3 Is VAS Dominated, But Not Just

Without a doubt, Value Added Services (VAS) was the focus of this week’s DTC Sight. With rumors about VAS circulating for months, the presentation in London had a South African version handled by DTC Marketing Director Stephen Lussier, and was followed by a marathon session of press interviews by DTC top brass.

VAS seemed to stir strong emotions among Sightholders and even brokers who all seemed dumbfounded by the decision to tack an extra expense on clients for services - like an account executive - which all have taken for granted.

In the middle of the VAS furor, Sightholders bought over $700 million worth of rough diamonds. At the conclusion of Sight 3 DTC has sold an estimated $2.2 billion of rough this year.

Box makeup and premiums received mixed reviews by Sightholders. Some say the mixes were low, while others were happy with their supply this month.

Premiums in the market were high on some boxes, such as on some of the smaller goods, while on other boxes, like spotted 2-4, there were no premiums, with one Sightholder saying they are negative – below DTC price.