News
Indian jewellers promote natural diamonds amid competition from lab-grown stones
Falling prices for lab-grown diamonds and their resulting rise in market share are transforming India’s diamond jewellery market and prompting jewellers to take proactive measures.
Yesterday
Ethiopia opens first gold refinery to serve region
Ethiopia has inaugurated its first gold refinery, a $50 million joint venture that the government hopes will establish the country as a regional hub for precious metals processing, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced over the weekend, according to Reuters...
Yesterday
Anglo American bets R11.2B on South African mining's future
Anglo American has reaffirmed South Africa's potential as a premier mining investment destination, even as the company commits R11.2 billion ($677 million) to an ultra-high dense media separation iron-ore project at Sishen in the Northern...
Yesterday
Nornickel forecasts $4 billion in precious metals revenue for 2026 - report
A senior Nornickel representative noted that the company expects to generate $4 billion in revenue from precious metals sales this year.
Yesterday
Russia to build first permanent REM magnet plant
In 2028, Russia is set to start the construction of its first plant for manufacturing permanent magnets from rare-earth metals (REM) in the city of Glazov, to be commissioned in 2029 with an initial capacity of 500 tonnes per year, said Andrey...
Yesterday
Diamonds across time
18 january 2021
Not so long ago, the global library of professional publications on precious stones was replenished with a unique book about rare diamonds and diamond jewelry published by the World Diamond Museum. Alex Popov, the founder and director of the museum told Rough&Polished about how this book came to life, its concept and future projects within the diamond industry.
Academician Pokhilenko: The situation with rough diamonds in the Russian Federation will start changing for the worse as early as 2025
11 january 2021
Nikolai Petrovich Pokhilenko, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Deputy Chairman of the Siberian Branch (SB) of the RAS, Scientific Director of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the SB of the RAS, is a prominent scientist recognized in the world scientific community. In 1998, Nikolai P. Pokhilenko became the discoverer of the largest new genetic type diamond deposit in the northwest of Canada, for which he was awarded the International Hugo Dummett Diamond Award in 2007. In the 1990s, Pokhilenko showed his knowledge and talent when forecasting three new diamondiferous areas in Yakutia. From 2007 through 2012, he was the Director of large audit and evaluation projects in the Siberian Platform within the framework of the government contracts with the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia and Rosnedra (Russian Federal Agency on Subsoil Use), which made it possible to substantiate new forecast diamond resources of 145 mn carats in the region. In this interview with Rough&Polished, N. P. Pokhilenko shares his views on the prospects for the diamond mining in Russia.
Ilgiz Fazulzyanov: For a creator, the quarantine is the time to work on future masterpieces
04 january 2021
Ilgiz Fazulzyanov is a successful and internationally recognized jewellery designer. He received his academic art education in Kazan and moved to Moscow in the 1990s where he lives and works now. His brand, Ilgiz F., is well known among true connoisseurs of the jewellery art, and his clients include many celebrities. He won numerous prestigious international jewellery competitions, worked with the Christie’s and Bonhams auction houses. He is the only Russian designer jeweller now who has the honour of exhibiting and selling his works at Christie’s in London. The Fazulzyanov’s works, mostly in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles, were exhibited twice in the Kremlin’s Diamond Fund, and in 2016, his solo exhibition was held in the Kremlin Museums - from his earliest works to today’s ones (his exhibition ranked second in the number of visitors, the Cartier’s one ranked first). His jewellery was purchased for the collection of the Kremlin Armory and by the museum of the Van Cleef company where he gave a lecture on enamels. In 2017, he opened his own Ilgiz F jewellery gallery at the Art Residence, where exhibitions of works by contemporary jewellers are held, including the annual Jewellery Winter exhibitions traditionally bringing together the top famous designers. In November, the third edition of Jewellery Winter was held, about which (and many other things) Ilgiz Fazulzyanov told the Rough&Polished correspondent.
Botswana Diamonds keen to mine KX36 kimberlite if found commercial
28 december 2020
Botswana Diamonds intends to mine the KX36 kimberlite, which it recently acquired from Petra Diamonds if found commercial. The high-grade KX36 kimberlite pipe is part of the three Prospecting Licenses in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana held by Sekaka, which was an exploration vehicle in Botswana for Petra Diamonds. The diamond exploration company managing director James Campbell told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa in an exclusive interview that they will consider partnering with another company to share the risk.
‘We expect to completely open the Bourse for business by Q1 of the Year 2022,’ assures Vallabhbhai Patel, Chairman, SDB
21 december 2020
Vallabhbhai Patel, Chairman of the Surat Diamond Bourse, dreamed of building the world’s largest commercial building in Surat for the Indian diamond industry. He conceptualized the ‘Surat Diamond Bourse’ (SDB), which is set to redefine the potential of the Indian diamond industry going forward. Vallabhbhai looks towards SDB to play an important role in turning Surat into the world’s largest manufacturing and trading DIAMOND HUB in a short period. Having entered the industry over four decades ago, Vallabhbhai Patel is the Founder of Kiran Gems. An astute businessman, he is the driving force behind Kiran Gem’s emergence as a global leader in diamond manufacturing. In an exclusive interview here with Rough&Polished, Vallabhbhai Patel speaks about the upcoming SDB, which the Indian diamond industry looks forward with great anticipation.
An opportunity to show your products and occupy your niche
14 december 2020
Recently, GOLDNET.MARKET, the first jewellery wholesale marketplace, appeared on the Russian jewellery market. Vladimir Pilyushin, one of the founders of GOLDNET.MARKET, editor-in-chief of the ‘Russkyi Yuvelir’ (Russian Jeweller) magazine, told the industry news agency Rough&Polished about this new effective tool for solving the problems of the jewellery market players under the new conditions.
Paul Zimnisky attributes diamond market recovery to holiday demand
07 december 2020
The diamond market started the year on a high note before the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc beginning March. Demand for diamonds had been on a rebound since last August and this has been due to stable consumer demand for diamond jewellery at the retail level in the US and China. Industry expert, Paul Zimnisky told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa that the positive trend can also be attributed to holiday demand that has been making its way through the supply chain coupled with many manufacturers being understocked due to the pandemic and related supply-chain challenges. He said although the pandemic has hurt demand for most of 2020, when it comes to holiday shopping, diamonds, jewellery and other material luxuries, could actually outperform as people will not be giving a lot of experiential gifts as they have in recent years.
Sourcing of rough in India through online tender system helpful amid COVID situation
30 november 2020
Dinesh Navadiya, the Regional Chairman (Gujarat Region) of The Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) of India has been appointed the President of The Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SGCCI). He is also the Director on the Board of the Gem & Jewellery Skill Council of India (GJSCI); Director on the Board of Indian Diamond Institute (IDI). Navadiya has also served as the President of Surat Diamond Association (SDA) for 7 years, representing industry matters to Government bodies for the welfare of MSMEs in Gujarat State. A graduate in Economics, Navadiya also holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad. A diamantaire in his own right, Navadiya is a partner in Tiku Gems. Here, in an interview with Rough&Polished, Dinesh Navadiya expresses confidence in the Indian diamond industry’s revival by overcoming the current difficulties. His encouraging picture of Surat’s resilient cutting and polishing sector gives hope of the Indian diamond industry returning to its former glory.
Cultivating demand for natural diamonds
23 november 2020
CIBJO, the international jewellery confederation, hosted a webinar last month on cultivating demand for natural diamonds. CIBJO had been holding a series of webinars on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar examined ways to cultivate demand for the natural stones and looked at the history of diamond marketing, among other things. Asked to qualify the differences between diamond category marketing and diamond jewellery brand marketing, Natural Diamond Council (NDC) chief executive David Kellie said the difference is that the natural diamond industry is unusual.
Deljanin and Simic: We do not think laboratory diamonds are threat to natural diamonds
16 november 2020
Gem and jewelry industry experts Branko Deljanin and Dusan Simic have completed the 3rd edition of their best-selling book, Laboratory-Grown Diamonds - Information guide to HPHT and CVD-grown diamonds. Deljanin and Simic are diamond researchers with over 50 years combined experience in the trade, are internationally recognized as authorities on diamonds. They specialize in the identification of natural, treated and laboratory-grown diamonds. Together, they have published more than 100 magazine articles and presented at scores of conferences around the globe. Deljanin and Simic kindly agreed to answer Rough&Polished questions related to the publication of their book and the situation in the diamond industry.
