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...
12 october 2026
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
Influence of Gold Price Fluctuations on China’s Jewelry Market
07 june 2010
Gold prices vary as unpredictably as diverse weather. Price peaks and valleys seriously affect the vital activity of enterprises selling gold jewelry in retail, as well as buyers’ behavior. Launching a new company or store, current operations, progressing in the market or leaving the market – everything has its specifics, but each of the sides of this business is instantly dependent on gold price.
Diamond risks on the rise
31 may 2010
Global macroeconomic indicators and primary consumption of gem-quality diamonds are diverging to an ominous extent. All the market sources of diamond information are releasing unanimous and concordant reports about positive trends in the major segments of the world rough and polished market. At the same time, news and reports on how the countries of the “golden billion” are weathering out the global economic crisis are close to panic.
Cost cutting measures sees Angola’s Catoca diamond mine through
24 may 2010
Preliminary data for the first quarter of 2010 released by ALROSA shows that Angola’s Catoca diamond mine posted a net profit of over 70 million USD in 2009, down from 104 million USD recorded the previous year. This revelation was interesting given the havoc that was caused by the global economic crisis in the diamond industry.
Diamonds “to the Detriment of Circulation”
17 may 2010
Can China develop mass production (say, based on CVD) of colorless synthetic diamond monocrystals suitable for cutting them into polished diamonds of 0.1-0.4 carats? Undoubtedly, it can. Will such production pay back? This depends on organizing a trade channel.
Chinese Designers: Waiting for Spring
11 may 2010
This year’s winter in China was extraordinary long and became the longest for the last 15 years. Chinese jewelry designers found themselves in a similar winter of their own being long left in obscurity and lawlessness and waiting for their own spring on which they pinned their hopes for improving the situation in the jewelry industry.
Turning ALROSA Public and Prospects of IPO
04 may 2010
Recently there is much talk going on about possible transformation of ALROSA into a publicly traded corporation and a virtual IPO on the part of this company and its subsidiaries. This brings forth the problem of a tentative evaluation of these companies and their shares placed on the market.
“LUKOIL is Forever”
26 april 2010
While the conservative galleons of the diamond market are painfully slow in drifting towards organizational and structural transformations imposed by increased competition, a vigorous and well armed corsair may appear on their horizon.
Diamonds and U.S. National Debt
19 april 2010
Creating a diamond market in Japan equal by its capacity to its American counterpart within a relatively short period of time may up to now be viewed as a paragon of marketing. Is it possible to repeat this fantastic success nowadays in the country which is currently attracting the hopes of diamantaires - in China? And how soon will it occur, if ever?
China Introduced National Gem Classification Standards
12 april 2010
Is there any possibility for Chinese consumers purchasing jewelry to rely on standards similar to the 4C diamond classification successfully accepted on the Chinese market? China’s jewelry sector is still in a stage where such kind of regulation is only taking its shape. The Russian proverb about the quiet waters full of devils can best describe the current situation in this country, but nevertheless certain organizational efforts are taken by the authorities, and since last March buyers have a tool to define the quality of jewelry pieces with emeralds and pearls.
Economic downturn hits beneficiation, but trend continues
05 april 2010
One of the most significant trends among diamond producing states in southern African states in recent years has been that of beneficiation. After scores of years where diamonds from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Angola were simply exported as rough, those countries have striven to ensure that that at least part of their gem output will be exported as polished goods. Ironically, following the first moves to beneficiation, the process was largely halted due to the global financial crisis.
