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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
Diamond market in search for fair price
20 february 2016
The results of January sales gave grounds for both optimism and doubts. On the one hand, demand for rough in January significantly exceeded expectations, offering hope for market recovery this year. On the other hand, some industry players were perplexed by different behavior of mining companies. According to media estimates (though not officially confirmed), De Beers lowered prices by 5-10%. ALROSA has officially declared it does not see any reasons for decreasing prices. Despite this seemingly essential difference, the two companies have posted good sales. If rough offered by both miners is selling well, then what is the fair price?
ALROSA's trading update for the fourth quarter and cautious optimism in January
15 february 2016
Rough sales posted by ALROSA in the fourth quarter drew major attention on the part of analysts and experts covering the company. If all the other aspects of the diamond miner’s operating statement were relatively predictable, its sales performance surpassed expectations. This raises the question if this growth should be considered to be a proof of recovery in demand from diamond cutters and dealers, or it is only ALROSA’s desire to maximize revenues on the homestretch of the year after a weak third quarter.
Singapore: The fastest growing emerging gem and jewellery market
08 february 2016
The Singapore jewellery market is as mixed as the population in the country. The middle class consumers regularly purchase medium priced products from regular stores as well as through platforms like home-shopping via the television marketing. An indication that demands for gems and jewelry are still quite high. In volume, the mid-range consumers are much bigger than the high end jewellery buyers. This section reveals a massive opportunity for large-scale market expansion. Besides, these consumers look for investing values in the jewellery.
Israeli Fancy Shape Diamond Firms Developing Market Niche
01 february 2016
With the global diamond market facing the kind of challenges that have not been seen for many years, it has never been more important to focus on niche markets. One of those markets is undoubtedly the fancy shape diamond sector, and it is one in which Israeli firms have a strong presence. Although round diamonds, particularly those up to one carat in weight and of mid to high clarity remain the most popular diamonds among consumers worldwide, there is a growing demand for fancy shape stones.
What ails the Indian diamond industry?
25 january 2016
Looking back at the past few months of the Indian diamond industry’s export performance, one notices a continuous downslide… a free fall, if you will. According to the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India (GJEPC), the whole gem and jewellery industry of the country is going through its worst times. It felt that India was losing out on the exports and its leadership position in the global market. In addition, the unemployment rate in the industry was increasing to a great instance, especially in the cutting and polishing sector which was a worrisome aspect for the industry.
The Diamond Paradox: Big Stones Sell for Millions While Traders Struggle to Make a Living
18 january 2016
There's a funny paradox in the modern-day diamond industry. On the one hand, there is huge media coverage and interest in large and important stones, while on the other side of the scales more than 99 percent of people are only buying diamonds weighing 1 carat, or less.
Who will be the first to shut down diamond mine?
11 january 2016
The diamond market cooldown in 2015 due to – among other reasons – massive sales of rough diamonds by mining companies in previous years and a slim chance of quick market revival compelled ALROSA to ponder over a search for a revolutionary solution. “In the event that there is no standard level of demand in 2016, we would think over the production volumes… We are elaborating the situation development scenarios and, no doubt, these could be related to lower output,” said Ilya Ryaschin, First Vice President of ALROSA, in late November when answering the analysts’ questions about the results reported for nine months. His statement was not a great surprise but such moves came at a much higher price for ALROSA than for De Beers that had announced about them earlier.
Christmas Sales Provide some Insight on how the European Jewellery Market is Changing
05 january 2016
The European jewellery industry has been waiting for this winter season with a mixture of expectations and fear. 2015 is, according to consumer forecasts, a key year. The European Union is now out of the crisis, and bound to a low and steady growth in the long term. With no major economic changes on the horizon, the behavior of consumers during this season is therefore likely to be a model for future years. While official Christmas sales figures will be available only in February-March, interim results are already showing some important new trends.
Hit by slowdown in consuming markets, Indian industry is striving to return to normalcy
28 december 2015
Severely hit by the slowdown in the consuming markets, the Indian industry is striving to return to its former self after the Diwali holidays. With huge inventories of unsold polished goods in India as well as at representative offices overseas, the industry struggles to strike a balance. Cutting down import of roughs, manufacturing units closed for longer periods for Diwali vacation is the norm at present. As it is the market forces that are at work, the industry is just waiting it out, till economies in consuming countries improve and business begins to pick up speed.
Details Emerge About Operations of 'Underground Bank' at Israel Diamond Exchange
21 december 2015
As a result of the serving of charges recently against five diamantaires from the Israel Diamond Exchange and the earlier conviction regarding a diamond trader in the case of the so-called 'Underground Bank' at the bourse which operated between 2005 and 2011, more complete details have been revealed about the scale of its operations and the dark areas in which much trade took place away from the prying eyes of the tax authorities. The investigation of the bank came about after police and tax inspectors launched a raid at the exchange in early 2011, much to the embarrassment of the management and leadership of the exchange at the time.
