London-listed URA Holdings has appointed Bonas Group as its sales partner to market and sell rough emeralds recovered from the company’s Gravelotte emerald mine (GEM) in South Africa.

This strategic partnership will leverage Bonas Group’s extensive expertise in the diamond and gemstone industry to ensure the highest standards of security, transparency and compliance throughout the sales process, URA avers.

Bonas Group, an independent diamond and gemstone tender house, will manage the end-to-end sales process, including planning, sorting, valuation and marketing of the emeralds through its established tender platform.

Bonas currently plans for the inaugural sale to be conducted in the second half of this year.

Viewings of URA’s emeralds will take place at Bonas Group’s facilities in Bangkok, Thailand.

Further, URA says it has also successfully qualified as a client of global finance company DelGatto Diamond Finance Fund (DDFF).   

This relationship provides financial flexibility for the sales process and opens future possibilities for financing from DDFF to support URA’s strategic objectives, URA says.

“We are excited to partner with Bonas Group and DDFF. This collaboration enhances our capability to bring our ethically mined emeralds to market, while ensuring transparency and maximising value for our stakeholders.

“After a long period of hard groundwork, we are now entering an exciting period for URA and our shareholders,” says URA CEO Bernard Olivier.

“Bonas Group is delighted to be providing a secure and transparent route to market for the emeralds from URA's renowned GEM producing the famous Cobra Emeralds, in South Africa. This partnership also strengthens our relationship with DDFF, creating a comprehensive solution for URA,” says Bonas Group CEO Charles Bonas.

“We are excited to continue to expand our activities with a best-in-class firm like Bonas. We are also very pleased to welcome URA Holdings to our growing client base. We believe this partnership exemplifies our commitment to providing new and innovative financial solutions to the diamond, gemstone and jewellery industry,” says DDFF CEO and founder Chris Del Gatto.