Exclusive
Diamond market crash is Africa’s opportunity, not its crisis – M'zée Fula Ngenge
Global natural diamond supply is forecast to fall below 95 million carats this year, the lowest since 1987. For Dr. M'zée Fula Ngenge, chairperson of the African Diamond Council (ADC), this is not a death knell but a clarion call. In an exclusive...
Today
Tracr passes 5 million rough diamonds milestone as De Beers expands provenance push
De Beers Group's blockchain-enabled traceability platform Tracr reached a significant milestone in 2025, with more than 5 million rough diamonds individually scanned and registered, up from 2.8 million cumulative registrations reported in 2024. The...
28 september 2026
South African diamonds head to Hong Kong: SDT partners with BRINKS for JGW 2026
South Africa’s State Diamond Trader (SDT) has confirmed the country's participation in Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong (JGW) 2026 through a partnership with BRINKS. SDT marketing and communication manager Tsholofelo Gopolang Tselapedi...
14 september 2026
David Benderly: PermaScribe seeks to put trust mark on diamond table, not just girdle
In this interview with Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa, PhotoScribe Technologies president and chief executive David Benderly explains how PermaScribe differs technically from conventional laser inscription, its potential to strengthen security, and...
31 august 2026
The great reset: Paul Zimnisky on supply catharsis, De Beers' bargain and the case for natural diamonds
The natural diamond industry is in the throes of its most profound reset in a generation. Supply is plunging to its lowest level since 1987 and De Beers—once valued at over $9 billion—is reportedly being sold for as little as $1 billion.
Lab-grown...
10 august 2026
Politics and diamonds: Africa catches strays as G7, EU sanction Russia
01 july 2024
The Group of Seven (G7), an intergovernmental organisation, which consists of the world’s largest developed economies (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States), worked together with the leaders of the European Union (EU) to impose sanctions on Russian diamonds.
Consumers disappointed with drop in LGD value – can natural diamonds reignite interest?
24 june 2024
It’s been the diamond and jewelry industry’s worst-kept secret for at least the past five years: lab-grown diamonds (LGDs) have almost no inherent value and become ever more worthless with time. The natural diamond trade has been warning that the value of lab grown diamonds (LGDs), from the moment they are produced, would fall dramatically.
De Beers trading on a rough patch
10 june 2024
De Beers, 85% owned by Anglo American, is arguably the world’s leading diamond mining company by value and second largest by volume after Russia's Alrosa. The miner produced 31.9 million carats in 2023, down 8% compared to 34.6 million carats recorded in 2022.
ALROSA and Angola: A farewell bow
03 june 2024
In July 2023, a flagship recognition event African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) established by the African Leadership Organization and the publishers of the African Leadership Magazine UK was held at the Dorchester Hotel in London. The glorious and representative event was attended by the members of the British House of Lords, ministers, representatives of the royal dynasties of a number of African states, and high-profile leaders of transnational corporations. Two months later, the Special Congressional Commendation for African-US cooperation in the development of the Africa-US relations was handed out at the International Forum on Afro-Caribbean Leadership (IFAL) held at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel on the sidelines of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
JCK Las Vegas Set to Show State Of U.S. And Other Markets
27 may 2024
It's that time of year again – the end of May and start of June means the JCK Las Vegas show has arrived. Along with the Hong Kong diamond and jewelry shows that take place in March and September, the huge Las Vegas fair is critical in determining the state of the global diamond and jewelry business.
How will the takeover of Anglo American and the sale of De Beers affect the diamond market?
13 may 2024
The potential takeover of Anglo American plc was one of the most widely discussed topics in the expert community analyzing commodity markets in May. Two mining giants, BHP Group Limited and Glencore plc, showed their interest in acquiring the company, and their market capitalization significantly exceeds that of the potential takeover target.
Corruption in mining sector puts a stain on green energy future
06 may 2024
Apparently, the world is moving in a new direction in terms of its energy needs, starting to embrace carbon neutrality and trying to combat climate change. Even though these new developments are off to a slow start, considerable resources are being allocated to this goal.
Blockchain as a new tax on the diamond industry
22 april 2024
After Russian rough and polished diamonds were given the ‘persona non grata’ status by the G7 countries, the efforts of the established market players have been and are aimed at ‘sifting the wheat from the chaff’ - how to reliably segregate the ‘bad’ Russian rough and polished diamonds from the ‘good’ ones supplied by other producers and manufacturers?
The nickel market has bottomed out but remains Indonesia-bound
15 april 2024
The LME nickel price gained 6 percent in the first quarter to a short-term $18,500 a ton, which was a small consolation after a 45-percent decline last year due to surplus production of Class 2 nickel in Indonesia and sluggish demand. In addition to the short squeeze, the delays in issuing nickel mining permits in Indonesia (RKAB) and the monsoon in the Philippines, the second largest producer of this raw material, contributed to the price rebound.
Platinum crisis: Declining metal prices lead to significant job losses
08 april 2024
In response to the current state of metal prices, Zimplats, the Zimbabwean unit of Impala Platinum Holdings, has decided to implement a voluntary retrenchment exercise for its employees as a cost-cutting measure.
