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
Design of a new flagship vessel of the Russian polar science
The ship will be used for marine research, personnel replacement and support of Arctic and Antarctic stations. The currently operational vessel, which delivers polar explorers and cargo to Antarctica, was built in 1987.
"Ivan Frolov" will combine a tanker, an icebreaker, a passenger, cargo and scientific vessel. Its service life will be approximately 30-40 years, length - almost 165 meters, displacement – about 25,000 tons, deadweight – about 9,200 tons.
The ship will be designed to accommodate 240 people, including 70 crew members and up to 170 scientists and members of the air squadron. It will be possible to equip up to 20 laboratories on board the vessel to carry out research from the ocean floor to the stratosphere.
Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for December 2028.
According to the head of Roshydromet Igor Shumakov, the countries that are engaged in the exploration of Antarctica, today there are no ships like the Ivan Frolov.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
