Lev Leviev Ups the Ante on Angola Diamonds

Israeli real estate and international business magnate Lev Leviev, a major philanthropist in the Jewish world, is raising prices on the diamonds he mines in Angola.

Leviev reached an agreement with the Angolan government that allows him to sell the diamonds from his Luminas mine on the world market, according to Bloomberg News.

Up to now, he has sold the gems at a discount to targeted traders from China and Dubai, according to sources who requested anonymity. The sources added that the deal allows Leviev to raise his prices by as much as 50 percent.

There was no comment from Leviev’s Africa Israel Investments Inc., nor from any of his other firms. Angola is the fourth-largest diamond producing country in the world by value, according to Bloomberg.