GEMFIELDS RAISES RECORD US$36.5M IN LUSAKA HIGHER QUALITY EMERALD AUCTION

Deputy Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development Hon. Charles Zulu receives a copy of a book on emeralds from Ian Harebottle, CEO of Kagem Mining and Gemfields Plc

The following statement was issued by Gemfields plc via the London Stock Exchange’s Regulatory News Service this morning:

Gemfields plc

(“Gemfields” or the “Company”)

Results – Lusaka Rough Emerald and Beryl Auction

26 February 2014

Gemfields plc (AIM: GEM) is pleased to announce the results of its auction of predominantly higher quality rough emerald and beryl held in Lusaka, Zambia from 21 to 25 February 2014.

Highlights

• Auction revenues of USD 36.5 million, a record for any Gemfields auction;
• Average price of USD 59.31 per carat, a 10% increase on the previous Kagem auction record;
• Of the 0.84 million carats offered, 0.62 million carats were sold;
• Fifteen Kagem auctions held since July 2009 have generated USD 260 million in total revenues;
• Financial year-to-date auction revenues (including one auction of traded material) stand at USD 92.9 million; and
• Including a direct sale of the two lowest grades of beryl, total revenues in the financial year-to-date from rough emerald and beryl sales have reached USD 96.4 million, marking a record revenue year for Gemfields.

A total of 34 companies attended and bid in what was the third auction during the current financial year of gemstones mined by Gemfields from the Kagem emerald mine in Zambia.

The auction saw 0.84 million carats of emerald and beryl extracted from Kagem placed on offer, with 15 of the 17 lots offered being sold, generating record auction revenues of USD 36.5 million.

The auction yielded an overall average value of USD 59.31 per carat, a 10% increase on the prior record for Kagem auctions. Market conditions for higher qualities remain robust, yielding solid increases in quality-for-quality per carat prices.

Aggregate auction revenues for the financial year-to-date (which ends 30 June 2014) – and inclusive of the Jaipur auction of traded emeralds – stand at USD 92.9 million. Adding a direct sale of the two lowest grades of beryl, total revenues from the sale of rough emerald and beryl have reached USD 96.4 million. As such, Gemfields has exceeded its record annual revenue figure of USD 83.7 million, set in the year ending 30 June 2012. Two further auctions are presently scheduled to take place before the end of the financial year including the inaugural auction for rough rubies and corundum from the Montepuez ruby deposit in Mozambique.

The Company’s fifteen auctions of emeralds and beryl mined at Kagem since July 2009 have generated USD 260 million in aggregate revenues. In addition, the Company ran an auction of traded rough emeralds (emeralds obtained by Gemfields in the open market from various sources and excluding emerald or beryl mined, processed, graded and exported by, or belonging to, Kagem Mining Limited) in Jaipur, India in September 2013, yielding gross auction revenues of USD 8.5 million.

The results of the nine higher quality Kagem auctions held to date are summarised in the two tables below:

The specific auction mix and the exact quality of the lots offered at each auction vary in characteristics such as size, colour and clarity on account of mined production and market demand. Each auction is thus made up of somewhat differing overall quality compositions.

For ease of reference, the results of the six lower quality Kagem auctions held to date are summarised below:

          * A larger volume of material was placed on offer in March 2010 following Gemfields extensive inventory building exercise during 2008 and 2009.

Ian Harebottle, CEO of Gemfields, commented:

“Gemfields has now completed four successful auctions in Zambia, all during the last eleven months. We have achieved two new records – the highest aggregate revenue and the highest average per carat price.

Our commitment to our vision for precious coloured gemstones, our operational investments, the acquisition of Fabergé and our ever expanding international marketing endeavours are clearly furthering the momentum we have built during the last five years. Zambia’s role in the global emerald market has never been more important, with Zambian emeralds now favoured by many as the emerald of choice.

Taking into account the four auctions held thus far this financial year, being one auction of traded material and three of material mined at our Kagem mine, Gemfields’ year-to-date auction revenues now stand at USD 92.9 million, with total sales from rough emerald and beryl having reached USD 96.4 million. This means we have, with four months and two further auctions remaining in this financial year (including our inaugural auction of rough rubies and corundum from Montepuez in Mozambique), already beaten Gemfields’ best ever revenue year.”

Read the speech by Hon. Charles Zulu by Clicking Here