DE BEERS managing director Gareth Penny recently expressed that retail diamond sales just prior to the start of the Christmas season had been “reasonably good”, citing a growing trend in the number of last-minute purchases compared to previous years. %% However, Penny reiterated that sales in the second half of the year may not match up to the first six months, in contrast to the second half of last year, which was stronger than the first half. %% Penny said he expected growth in the retail business to continue to be in single digits, but remained optimistic for the final quarter of the year.