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
Only natural diamonds? No. Only diamonds!
15 june 2020
The Diamond Producers Association (DPA) has rebranded itself and now exists as the Natural Diamond Council (NDC). Recall that this organization came to life in May 2015 with the aim of re-creating the generic marketing of diamonds, which virtually ceased when De Beers abandoned monopoly regulation of the diamond market. It took longer to negotiate the form of existence of the DPA than implement the stated goals; therefore, no particular success was achieved in generic marketing. The decline in consumer interest towards diamonds, especially on the part of millennials, is felt quite distinctly by the market.
Outlook for diamond sales remain uncertain as digital bids gather momentum
08 june 2020
The diamond industry is feeling the heat from the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, which is currently ravaging the world in a way last seen in 1918 when about 500 million people – a third of the world’s population at the time – were infected by the so-called Spanish flu. Global demand for diamonds has plummeted by more than 50% since March compared to the same period last year, according to Endiama director general Pedro Galiano.
Post COVID-19 Scenario: A stronger and more organized Indian diamond industry to emerge
01 june 2020
As India went into ‘Lockdown 4.0’, analysts from the Indian G&J industry believed that many of the Surat's diamond factories will not survive COVID-19, especially the city’s 5000 odd units that form 90% of the manufacturing units which are small unregistered and vulnerable. Surat, the cutting-and-polishing hub had been dormant since the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed on 25 March, until recently. Besides, as most of the units are small, and the nature of cutting and polishing typically needs four workers to operate near each other, implementing any kind of social distancing rules are unlikely when lockdown eases. Another major issue will be the shortage of workers, as an exodus of unpaid migrant artisans has returned to their villages in Gujurat. More than 400,000 have already left Surat, maybe for good. And, it is estimated that about half of the city's 750,000 diamond workers, who are still in the city may eventually resume work at the larger units.
Adding fuel to the fire - COVID and the benefit performance of Angola
25 may 2020
As it became known, last week Angola sold at least five ‘modules’ (parcels) of goods supplied by its main diamond producer, Sociedade Mineira de Catoca. Five modules contain the entire monthly production of this company. According to market information, the rough diamonds could have been sold at $ 72-74 per carat. Catoca already had some diamond sales this year, but it is the sale occurred last week that can be safely called the first Covid-period trading session in the current “frozen” market. What are the takeaways? They are, in my opinion, very controversial.
The COVID-19 Effect: Indian diamond industry shaken but not broken
18 may 2020
The Indian Gem & Jewellery industry has weathered many a storm in the past, but nothing close to the current COVID19 crisis. This is unprecedented, and to gauge the volatility in the industry is beyond imagination leave alone comprehend the scenario. COVID-19, which took a pandemic shape this March, has completely stalled the Indian gem and jewellery trade. GJEPC vice-chairman Colin Shah opines: “This industry has come out of every crisis more resilient and this time it would take longer to find the new normal, which could be about 20% below the pre-corona level in value terms.”
Diamond in a virus crown
11 may 2020
One of the limelight topics discussed these days is the speed of market recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic will fade away. Will there be a quick return to the previous level (a V-type recovery), will the process be slow (U-type), or will we have a long recession (L-type). From our part, we will also try and contribute to this fascinating discussion.
World diamond production in 2015-2019
05 may 2020
The Kimberley Process usually publishes actual diamond production figures at the end of July of the following year, but diamond production in 2019 can be determined with a certain precision by calculation.
As pandemic started, demand for oil slumped. Shall we weather out the hard times?
27 april 2020
An “ideal storm” swept over the whole world, but Russia’s jewelers were hit harder than others as the country’s ruble lost more than other currencies. And this came on the backdrop of already falling incomes of the population. It is clear that the state will not be able to help everyone losing their jobs due to the closure of businesses for the period of pandemic, and it is all the more clear that people who have lost their jobs will definitely take their minds off jewelry for a long time...
Life in the diamond market after coronavirus
20 april 2020
The global hysteria over COVID-19 is nearing its peak. And the contours of a future reality for the diamond market are turning more and more visible. Frankly speaking, the prospects look hardly bright.
Diamond industry: virus test
13 april 2020
When diamond industry stakeholders described what was happening in the market last year as a “perfect storm,” they certainly couldn’t think of what was going to happen in 2020. At that time, it was a cyclical decline in demand due to excess stocks, problems with lending, geopolitical tensions, changes in consumer preferences and increased presence of lab grown diamonds. Now, the global diamond supply chain is essentially paralyzed, the “diamond pipeline” segmented and returned to the state of 2008-09.
