Vladimir Pilyushin: The jewelry market is not stand-alone and moves by the same laws as other markets

Vladimir Pilyushin is editor-in-chief of Russian Jeweler, a leading magazine about the jewelry industry in Russia. He told Rough&Polished about his view on the evolution of the jewelry industry in Russia and touched upon some of its problems.

16 september 2024

Sarine’s David Block: Diamond Industry at Standstill Until Chinese Demand Returns

David Block is CEO of Israel’s Sarine Technologies and has served in the position since 2012. In this exclusive interview for Rough and Polished, Block gives his opinion on the leading issues affecting today’s diamond trade.

11 september 2024

Dr M'zée Fula Ngenge: Demand for considerable-sized diamonds stronger than ever

The African Diamond Council (ADC) chairperson Dr M'zée Fula Ngenge told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa in an exclusive interview that although overall global diamond prices have been somewhat soft, the demand for considerable-sized diamonds...

02 september 2024

Amplats sees prospects as a standalone company

Anglo has revealed its plans to demerge Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), which has operations in South Africa and Zimbabwe, to optimise shareholder value. Rough&Polished contacted Amplats to comment on this and other issues but was referred...

19 august 2024

WFDB President Yoram Dvash Remains Confident Despite Global Diamond Challenges

Yoram Dvash is President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) having been elected in 2020. He found time in his busy schedule to speak to Rough&Polished about the state of the diamond industry around the world and some of the major...

12 august 2024

The Arctic now sees more snow and rain...

16 december 2022
The Arctic is one of the fastest warming regions on Earth, which refers to a document, that for the past 17 years, has been charting climate impacts in the polar north, as per BBC News. The study tracks key Arctic indicators, or vital signs, and this year sees precipitation added to this list for the first time.
Prof John Walsh from University of Alaska Fairbanks said the sparseness of monitoring stations in the Arctic, especially out over the ocean, had always made it extremely difficult to judge some weather trends. But by taking two independent analytical approaches, using the data that does exist and a global climate model, it is now possible to get a meaningful picture.
According to Prof Walsh, heavy precipitation is the scene in recent times as Utqiagvik in northern Alaska had its wettest day on record just this past July. Over most parts of the Arctic, there are positive trends in the years' heaviest one-day and five-day precipitation amounts. This is especially true in the sub-Arctic North Atlantic, while the number of consecutive wet days is increasing over much of the central Arctic.
While freezing rain is becoming a bigger issue, Alaska's second largest city, Fairbanks, recently experienced a 35mm downfall. The problem is the ice layer that's left behind makes roads more hazardous and creates difficulties for foraging wildlife until the spring thaw comes.
Other complications include the rapid melt of heavier amounts of snowfall, which leads to flooding. Warmer temperatures mean more moisture is evaporating from the ocean, which will eventually precipitate out and show up as snow or rain. But the higher temperatures are also melting the sea-ice cover, exposing more ocean to evaporation, leading to further precipitation.

Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished