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
Surat - India’s diamond manufacturing hub
20 january 2014
Many stories have been told about Surat from history, but the latest being of this once quaint town famous for its textiles industries, now grown into a bustling town known globally for its diamond cutting and polishing industry. The industry however gained momentum in the 1960s running into the 70s with gusto with its ability to cut low-quality rough diamonds, which the other centres like Israel, Antwerp etc would not touch.
ALROSA remains most profitable diamond producer
13 january 2014
ALROSA, the leader in diamond production by volume since 2009, turned out 34.4 million carats in 2012, accounting for 27 percent of worldwide production. De Beers, on the other hand, remained the leader in value terms, posting $5.5 billion in sales. Although, De Beers continued as the world’s largest diamond producer by value, there was an interesting fact(s) that some people are not aware of. ALROSA had been for some time the most profitable diamond producer in the world with the largest operating-income margins per carat and in absolute value.
‘Round tripping’ on the wane in India
09 january 2014
The theory is that ‘round tripping’ in diamonds began sometime after 2008 when 2% import duty was imposed by the Government of India. This may well be very far from the truth as the practice has been prevalent in the Indian diamond industry for years. Unfortunately, the loop holes in the import-export policy have been misused by a few unscrupulous businessmen to make money on the sly. However, in reality the Indian gem and jewellery industry is by and large an honest and professionally managed sector ... but for a few ‘bad apples’. This is a universal phenomenon, not necessarily an Indian one for sure.
Second-Tier Companies in Global Diamond Mining - Dominion Diamond Corporation
04 january 2014
Although earlier, most of the analysts considered 4 companies as the top major diamond miners, namely, De Beers, АLRОSА, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, in recent years, there emerged the second-tier fast growing companies like Harry Winston (Dominion Diamond), Petra Diamonds, Lucara Diamond and others.
The legend about "diamond embargo"
30 december 2013
The legend of a "diamond embargo" triggering diamond exploration in the Soviet Union was so successful that today, after more than 50 years since it was made up, it continues to sway the minds of historians, journalists and functionaries of the diamond industry, sincerely convinced that the landmark discovery of diamond deposits in Yakutia was primarily due to the unsatisfied need for industrial diamonds of the Soviet military industrial complex.
The first wave of holidays in the U.S. revealed consumer preferences
23 december 2013
The first holiday wave swept the U.S. stores and Internet space in late November - Thanksgiving Day (November 28), followed by an epic day of sales on Black Friday (November 29), as well as weekend discounts offered at shopping malls followed by the finishing touch of Cyber Monday (December 2), the main day of the year for online sales. This year brought no breakthrough for the sales, but it has shown that trade is increasingly shifting to the Web.
What’s going on in Marange?
16 december 2013
Zimbabwe’s weekly Financial Gazette reported early last month that the quality and quantity of diamonds mined in Marange had been on the “decline” since 2012. The miners or the Zimbabwean government had previously refused to give constant production and trade figures citing sanctions. Skeptics were not convinced that alluvial deposits had run out as this was a ploy to cover up the siphoning of diamonds funds.
Facts are the only thing to be trusted - market review
09 december 2013
October and November were notable for declining prices, to which De Beers and ALROSA, the world’s largest diamond producers had to succumb to restore earning power in the central link of the diamond pipeline – in manufacturing. Diamantaires remain to be major customers of De Beers and ALROSA, and their margins cannot be skipped by diamond giants. Especially when some of ALROSA’s customers failed to meet their obligations and one of De Beers’ sightholders initiated termination of its contract.
Who did the diamond Gulag work for?
02 december 2013
It was 11th June 1952, when Colonel A. Malgin, Head of Uralalmaz, a diamond mining company subordinated to the Special Chief Administration of the USSR Interior Ministry put his signature to a lengthy document classified "Top Secret. Special importance." Experienced officers (and Colonel Malgin, whose entire career has been associated with the Gulag, was an experienced and cautious person) tried to avoid such documents, if it was possible. But that time he failed.
Going to Hong Kong for gold?
25 november 2013
Hong Kong retailers selling jewelry, watches and other luxuries view the Chinese Golden Week as one of the main events in the trade. The Golden Week starts in the first week of October, when China celebrates its major holiday - the National Day of the People's Republic of China. This is the time when the Chinese go travelling and shopping to the duty-free shopping Mecca, Hong Kong. However, sales during the Golden Week were affected by several negative factors.
