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
Slow but steady: declining ore grades jeopardize the mining industry’s sustainability
11 february 2025
It’s no secret that mining industry operates in a challenging environment nowadays: trillions in CAPEX requirements, declining productivity, rising costs, labour shortages, meeting capital demand and achieving net zero goals. If this is not enough to give anyone involved in the sector a headache, these is another serious issue at hand: declining average ore grades across multiple mineral commodities.
AI in mining: when is the future?
04 february 2025
Artificial Intelligence (AI), advanced robotics, cybernetic systems that blur the lines between the physical, digital, and biological worlds, off-grid renewable energy generation are all parts of the 4th Industrial Revolution (a.k.a. Industry 4.0). All of these components are applicable for the mining industry in order to reduce costs and transform the sector into a more environmentally-friendly one.
Antimony: The battle for a strategic metal
03 february 2025
In mid-September 2024, China introduced mandatory licensing for antimony (Sb) exports. More specific measures were taken later when in December, China banned the export of a number of key minerals, including antimony, to the United States. The price of antimony has rocketed by 192 percent in a year - from $13,000 per metric ton at the start of 2024 to $38,000 at the end of the year.
Diamond supplies are shrinking, but has the demand for diamonds also shrunk?
27 january 2025
Two largest diamond miners that have faced not only a bad market situation this year but also never-before-seen problems are advancing diametrically opposed agendas to the market. According to De Beers, which is under pressure due to the restructuring process of its parent company Anglo American, a change in priorities is taking place as the market is no longer governed by supply and is more than ever dependent on demand. To support it, it’s necessary to reduce supply and work in a coordinated manner to promote natural stones and their origin (of course, non-Russian). ALROSA, which this year could have experienced sales restrictions due to sanctions imposed on its diamonds, on the contrary, is demonstrating confidence in the stable demand and hopes for the inevitable quick recovery under the influence of robust fundamental factors.
Lab-Grown Diamonds and Societal Changes Impacting The Bridal Diamond Market
20 january 2025
Is the bridal market experiencing an earthquake? Although that is clearly something an exaggeration, the fact remains that changes brought about by the lab-grown diamond (LGD) revolution together with extraordinary societal changes in the West over the past 30 years have made the once stable bridal market a much more complex landscape to navigate.
Rare earth elements era: rivalry is just beginning
20 january 2025
The fourth industrial revolution we are witnessing now is characterized by the development of cyber-physical and adaptive systems, mining and digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), green energy generation, as well as the transition from metal industry to production of composite materials.
Big miners chasing copper
14 january 2025
The strategic importance of copper became even more apparent this year when BHP tried to take over the struggling Anglo American and its stakes in copper mines in Chile and Peru as the most attractive assets in the company’s portfolio. And while the recent example of Glencore abandoning the coal business spin-off proves that the days of natural resources enjoying a lower demand from ESG-conscious investors are not over, the importance of copper is proved by its steadily growing role in corporate budgets.
Of natural and lab-grown diamonds contradiction
13 january 2025
The bi-annual Dubai Diamond Conference, which took place on 11 November at the JAFZA One Convention Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, addressed several issues impacting the diamond industry. Two seemingly contradicting issues stood out for me.
Gold is a timeless safe-haven asset
10 january 2025
Geopolitical uncertainty, military conflicts, epidemics that have characterized the global economy recently, reaffirm the timeless value of gold due to its reliability, liquidity and profitability. Moreover, gold is the most attractive asset for investing and wealth preservation, especially in long-term planning, precisely, in times when the world is in turmoil.
Prospects for lithium mining in Europe
03 january 2025
The European Union, the world’s main purveyor of the energy transition, is in dire need of the mineral raw materials required to ensure it. At the same time, the EU does its best to avoid dependency on China, Russia and other traditional suppliers amid the difficult geopolitical situation. In this regard, some EU countries have begun to revive the geological exploration and mining industries.
