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...
Yesterday
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
Cobalt market blues
23 january 2024
Cobalt usage saw a resurgence in the last three decades, give or take. But despite the rise in electric-powered cars and electronics production, the cobalt market now faces a supply glut, while mining companies are struggling to make a profit on every ton of this metal produced.
The would-be ‘master’ of Yakutian diamonds
15 january 2024
On July 8, 1954, Colonel Aleksey Mikhailovich Malgin, the last head of the Uralalmaz Trust and a Cheka serviceman, was dismissed. So, that was the end of the career of a man who had great chances to go down in the history of the world diamond market as the first head of the commercial production of diamonds in Yakutia.
Russia is looking to participate in the global lithium race - what can go wrong?
08 january 2024
The global market for lithium-ion accumulator batteries in 2022 was estimated at 46,2 bn and it can grow to $189.4 bn by 2032. The focus in this article is specifically on lithium - not only because it is a key element of lithium-ion batteries but because lithium is the only type of raw material mentioned above that is not mined in the Russian Federation.
The next year's gleam of gold
21 december 2023
The first day of December saw gold prices rise to a new record high. Throughout most of 2023, gold market performance has been strong despite some headwinds, and looking into 2024, the rally may continue.
Fable of the diamond-studded order
11 december 2023
This year marks exactly 80 years of the most famous military order of the USSR - the Order of Victory. The Order of Victory is one of the rarest awards in the world and enjoys well-deserved recognition of historians and phalerists. While there were many various publications about the order, from thorough scientific studies to outright yellow press, some aspects of the Order of Victory’s creation still raise questions, and the mythical fog around this award since its creation has not yet cleared off.
China leads the global LGD industry, with India close behind
04 december 2023
As of today, the Lab-Grown Diamond (LGD) business has surged ahead, offering consumers an ethical and sustainable choice. It is no longer looked at as a threat to the natural diamond business. The LGD sector looks promising, filled with huge growth potential with global awareness of the ethical advantages of LGDs. Moreover, with production techniques and advanced technology, LGDs are becoming more attractive to consumers.
The image of polished diamonds during the new Cold War era
27 november 2023
A side effect of the accelerated funding of defense programs in the NATO countries is the long-term growth in a number of solvent buyers that can be considered as polished diamond market’s potential clients.
Tricky Outlook Facing Global Diamond and Jewelry Industry
20 november 2023
As if the global outlook for diamond jewelry sales wasn't already dim, the industry is now having to work with another unsettling factor as war rages in the Middle East, and the prospect of it escalating further.
Osmium… diamonds?
13 november 2023
As our readers probably know, osmium is one of the platinum group metals (PGM) that is relatively rare, not very useful, and it gave a name to a German light bulb manufacturer Osram. What you probably don't know however, is there exists an organization that decided to create a whole new market for osmium from scratch, and more or less take it all to itself.
Norilsk Nickel's unique environmental project launched in the Arctic
06 november 2023
A environmental project unique in all respects has been launched in the Arctic, as stated by Sergey Dubovitsky, Senior Vice President of Norilsk Nickel, during the commissioning of the first stage of the Sulfur Program at the Nadezhdinsky Metallurgical Plant on October 25.
