Coronavirus drives Alrosa to shift diamond sales from Hong Kong

Russia’s Alrosa, the world’s largest diamond mining company, will hold its March auctions in Moscow and Israel after Hong Kong postponed two jewellery shows because of the coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Wednesday.

Demand for diamonds in China, the world’s second-largest market after the United States, had already weakened last year because of trade tensions and democracy protests in Hong Kong.