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
De Beers Lightbox Experiment Ends as Suddenly as It Began
19 may 2025
When De Beers announced the launch of the Lightbox colored lab-grown diamond jewelry line in 2018 to disrupt the synthetics sector by offering fixed and clear per-carat pricing the shock in the global diamond trade was resounding. Despite the diamond mining giant presenting the stones as simply a venture into the sector that would offer a fun and colorful product which, if lost, would be no big deal since their cost was relatively low, the diamond trade remained stunned.
REMs as strategic raw materials of the 21st century
12 may 2025
Rare earth metals (REMs), also called rare earth elements (REEs) or rare earths, are currently at the peak of popularity. This is explained by a wide range of their applications, especially in high-tech industries, as well as the restricted supply of REMs to the world market, where China is essentially a monopolist.
Trump tariffs may undermine diamond market’s early attempts at evading stagnation
05 may 2025
This spring, a number of key indicators of the diamond market began to show a steady revival of trade activity, but the whole picture is yet to become fully positive. The U.S. consumers are sensitive to economic uncertainty and are cautious in purchasing luxury items, which was confirmed by the LVMH’s unexpectedly low performance in the first quarter and the emerging downward trend of jewelry sales for items priced under $2,500 in the USA.
Signet Jeweler’ New CEO Brings in New Approach to Raise Sales
28 april 2025
It seems like an obvious step to take for a jewelry retailer to promote its brands to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. And that’s what North America’s biggest jewelry selling company Signet Jewelers plans to do as one of the first steps by its new CEO.
The coveted brownfield: How big miners promise to mitigate the copper shortage
14 april 2025
The number of significant copper deposit discoveries is steadily declining, according to a study by S&P that takes into account all 239 deposits explored since 1990, with total reserves of at least 500,000 tons. Only four discoveries were registered between 2019 and 2023, with total reserves of 4.2 mn tons, which highlights the trend of decreasing pace and size of large-scale copper deposit discoveries over the past decade.
'Lightbox' gave De Beers a foothold in LGDs while managing the decline of natural diamonds
07 april 2025
I recently read an article written by James Allan, which argued that listing De Beers is the only way for Anglo American. What caught my attention was his assertion that De Beers implemented a “wrong strategy” when it launched its ‘Lightbox’ lab-grown diamond brand in 2018.
Deep-sea mining: untapped potential, but at what cost?
31 march 2025
As international trade tensions rise and nations across the globe scramble for critical mineral resources to protect national security and ensure a steady supply of strategic materials, miners are getting ready to venture into an uncharted territory. World oceans hold enormous amounts of untapped mineral wealth.
Big miners in 2024: Declining profits and focus on copper
05 march 2025
The largest mining corporations’ profits for 2024 declined amid falling prices for iron ore and thermal coal. The performance of gold, aluminium and especially copper businesses contributed to the financial results, as their role in miners’ portfolios continues to grow, although Glencore experienced a number of specific problems due to its diversification into smelting capacities.
“Produced in a microwave in China”: Is it enough for the natural diamond industry to show disdain for synthetics?
24 february 2025
This year's Investment in African Mining Indaba, which took place in Cape Town, South Africa, in early February, featured a panel discussion titled "Diamonds—critical for Africa's socio-economic development." The panel, chaired by De Beers’ Senior Vice President Government Relations Emma Wade-Smith, comprised of De Beers chief executive Al Cook, Botswana minerals and energy minister Bogolo Kenewendo, Endiama director of mining operations and joint venture management Miguel Vemba and Angola national director for mineral resources Paulo Tanganha.
Palladium to continue looking for growth drivers
18 february 2025
Palladium has traded in a range between $900 and $1,100 per ounce for most of 2024, with the exception of a short-duration spike in palladium prices in October when the USA was reported to be going to tighten sanctions on Russia’s precious metals. The consensus is not optimistic for 2025 either, as most experts agree that the demand from automotive industry that is crucial for palladium will decline in 2025 as the market share of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles is inferior to that of battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
