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
ZMDC Lacks Technical and Financial Capacity to Mine Marange Diamonds
13 april 2009
Diamond mining is not a zero sum-game, and it is true indeed that a lot of pre-feasibility studies have to be done to determine if the mining of the diamonds would be commercially viable or not.
First Sprouts of Demand
06 april 2009
Despite the many pessimistic forecasts, the diamond market is displaying certain recovery – several market centers simultaneously inform about growing demand for rough diamonds. The most serious positive news is the arrangement between AWDC and ALROSA on a strategic agreement for the delivery of $500 million worth of rough diamonds to 15 Antwerp-based companies.
Diamond Market in Search of New Concepts and Instruments
30 march 2009
The only positive aspect about the unprecedented crisis currently reigning on the diamond market is the dramatic upsurge in marketers’ activities searching for new solutions and patterns which would allow its efficient re-structuring to meet contemporary challenges.
Diamond Production in Recession
04 march 2009
The immediate outlook for the diamond industry might look bleak, but some analysts believe that once the production overhang worked itself through the system, prices would recover.
Anglo American and De Beers: Results in 2008 and an Outlook
24 february 2009
Mining holding Anglo American and diamond mining company De Beers which is part of this group have posted their performance reports for 2008 which showed that the global economic crisis started to bite into their business performance.
Western Hopes and Eastern Wisdom
17 february 2009
The history of the “diamond pipeline” does not know any other tool of guaranteed diamond price growth, but the monopoly on rough diamonds. It would be incorrect to say that the abandonment of monopolistic regulation of the diamond market was the only reason of its now deplorable state, but at the same time it is evident that “Supplier of Choice” is not the kind of strategy which will permit to push off the current bottom in a secure way.
Diamond Déjà Vu – Does ALROSA Run the Risk of Repeating the Experience of the 1990s?
29 january 2009
The world diamond market is going through rough times. ALROSA’s position on this dismal background looks more preferable compared with that of its foreign counterparts. ALROSA is the only diamond mining company in the world owned by the state. This circumstance facilitated a timely decision to back up the Russian diamond business with budget resources in this crisis situation.As it usually happens in such cases, there is a sharp increase in movements of all possible parasitic formations, whose activities may cause an indulgent smile in quiet times, but become critically dangerous in crisis periods.
Gold Revaluation
21 january 2009
Gold is more and more turning into the most wanted commodity. It is an indication that after the apoplexy of the U.S. financial system, the dollar and the dollar-tied world financial system ceased to be trusted, which resulted in a global gold fever. This process proves that currently there is covert maneuvering of resources underway whereby national currencies are trying to take the most advantageous position towards the dollar in expectation of further developments.
Year 2009 – Fight for Price
27 december 2008
The situation reigning on the market in the end of the expiring year may be described in a simple way – the market as it was conceived in August does not exist. There is no perception of demand, there are tremendous stocks piled along the whole diamond pipeline, there is no credit money and the totality of all these elements gives a logical result – there is no price. Consequently, the main intrigue in the early months of 2009 will be the fight for price.
Investment Diamonds – Cautious Optimism in the Time of Crisis
12 december 2008
The global crisis continues to test the endurance of all segments of the diamond pipe. The latest most significant events include the decision of the Leumi Bank of Israel to curtail crediting operations involving rough diamonds; a significant slump in Japan’s retail jewelry sales; drag acceleration experienced by online jewelry sales; a slowdown in the transaction pursued by Archangel Diamond Corporation (De Beers’ subsidiary) to acquire a 49.9% equity interest in ArkhangelskGeologodobycha followed by an uncertain situation for future development of the Verkhotina diamond field; and a sharp decrease in ALROSA’a net profit. Optimistic outlooks given by the management of the 4C-Diamond Concern, one of the few companies specialized in investment diamonds, stand out against this negative background.
