News
Israel’s diamond sector poised for revival following tax reforms and De Beers comeback
De Beers, one of the world's major diamond market players, has announced the resumption of its operations in Israel after a nine-year absence, which became the latest sign of revival of the diamond industry in the country.
Today
Kefi Gold and Copper restarts Tulu Kapi development after safety review
Kefi Gold and Copper has resumed development at its Tulu Kapi gold project in Ethiopia following a suspension that began on September 7 after a serious safety incident three days earlier.
Today
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
In a world where transparency is more and more the standard, our business must address the lab grading issue willingly
25 june 2018
Jeweler-Designer Arnaud Flambeau started his career in the jewelry business in 1993 at European Gold Company CLAL as Key Account Manager for the Jewelry Division, where he was in charge of international brands like Cartier or VCA and their subcontractors. Being in daily contact with the most high-end ateliers in the world and learning about quality and fine jewelry, Arnaud soon began working for many fine jewelry brands. Lastly, he joined Scintilla Monaco as CEO and a shareholder to develop new lines for the Asian and European markets. He opened offices in Monaco, Dubai and Tokyo and since then there was no looking back for Arnaud. He was appointed as a Board Member at the Dubai Diamond Exchange in 2007 until 2013. Arnaud finally launched his own company, Luga Jewels, in 2010 to create only bespoke products for fine jewelry connoisseurs - a desire which was close to his heart. Here, in a Q&A format, while elaborating on his business, Arnaud also speaks his mind on a gamut of issues currently faced by the jewelry industry globally.
Vallabhbhai Shamjibhai Patel tells about the ongoing construction of the Surat Diamond Bourse
18 june 2018
The under-construction Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) is India's second diamond trading hub based at Surat, Gujarat, spread across 35.54 acres with more than 4,000 offices for national & international traders. On the onset, the project which is now set to be completed by year 2020, almost split the Indian diamond industry vertically into two. The SDB is a ‘not for profit’ organization promoted by SDB Diamond Bourse, a company registered under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. Heading the project as Chairman is Vallabhbhai Patel who is also the Chairman of Kiran Gems, one of the largest diamond companies in India. Here, in a Q&A session, Vallabhbhai Patel talks of the project which is taking shape as scheduled.
The strategy of regulating the Russian jewellery industry
13 june 2018
At the General Meeting of the Russian Jewellers Guild Association held in April, two principally important documents were adopted: The Strategy of Regulating the Jewellery Industry of Russia and The Charter of a Good Faith Taxpayer. Besides, the issues of restructuring the Association to become a self-regulatory organization (SRO), holding thematic conferences and roundtable discussions as well as the alteration of the Articles of the Association were discussed. In his interview to Rough & Polished, Eduard Utkin, General Manager of the Russian Jewellers Guild Association shared his views on the changes in the statutory regulation of the entrepreneurial activities in the turnover of precious metals and precious stones as well as of the alterations of the Articles of the Guild Association.
Our first priority is to better understand artisanal and small-scale mining - Elodie Daguzan
04 june 2018
The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI), the organization dealing with the traditional diamond mining, recently announced the appointment of Élodie Daguzan as its first Goodwill Ambassador. Ms. Daguzan, who currently works as head of communication and industry relations for diamantaire Rubel & Ménasché, brings with her 17 years of experience in the diamond and jewelry industry. In an interview with Rough&Polished, Daguzan spoke about the challenges she faces and the programs implemented by DDI.
Zimnisky on De Beers’ Lightbox: It’s a strategic, bold move that will benefit the entire natural diamond industry
01 june 2018
De Beers shocked all and sundry end of May when it announced the launch of a new company called Lightbox Jewelry, which will market a new brand of laboratory-grown diamond jewellery in September. This effectively meant that the group had departed from its long held position that it won’t sell synthetic diamonds. Industry analysts and the media were confounded with some openly criticising De Beers of being hypocritical and opportunistic, only to retract their statements a day later. One headline screamed: “De Beers admits defeat over man-made diamonds.” However, is it the case? Independent diamond industry analyst Paul Zimnisky thinks the opposite. He told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa that this was a strategic move out of necessity by De Beers on behalf of the whole natural diamond industry.
Tracking the provenance and lifecycle of a product is a natural and necessary evolution in our industry
28 may 2018
A senior executive with a demonstrated history of working globally at management and board levels, Marcus ter Haar has been the Managing Director at Okavango Diamond Company (ODC), Botswana for about 10 months now, prior to which he held the position of Deputy Managing Director for more than 5 years. Before joining ODC, he did a stint as Head of Sales & Marketing with DTC, with responsibility to deliver diamond sales to Botswana based diamond cutters and polishers and define strategies for Botswana diamond beneficiation. With a PLD from Harvard Business School; MA International Relations from Reading University and a BA Economics & Politics from University of East Anglia, Marcus has also acquired adequate experience in Governance, Risk, Business Planning, Management, and Business development in various positions over the years. Marcus is also volunteering for more than 9 years now as the Secretary and Board Trustee at Khama Charitable Trust, which is a donor and fund-raising organisation supporting the upliftment of women and children in marginalised sections of Botswana Society. In an interview with Rough&Polished, Marcus ter Haar speaks on all you wanted to know about ODC and more…
Ali Pastorini: Selling just the idea of glamour is no longer enough
21 may 2018
Ali Pastorini is the co-owner of DEL LIMA JEWERLY and President of Mujeres Brillantes, an association which brings together approximately 1000 women working in the gold and diamond trading sector, mainly from Latin America, as well as from Turkey, Spain, Italy and Germany. The mission of Mujeres Brillantes is to help women in the jewelry and watchmaking sectors consolidate their business in order to exchange professional skills and experience. In the immediate past, Ali Pastorini was also Senior Vice President of the World Jewelry Hub in Panama. In this interview with Rough&Polished she tells about major trends and problems in the jewelry business.
Diamonds are shifting from occasional to daily wear
14 may 2018
Joy Alukkas started his first jewellery showroom in UAE in the year 1987, and today the Joyalukkas Group is a multi-billion global conglomerate with varied business interests. Beginning with a single jewellery room in Abu Dhabi, Joy Alukkas has grown the Group to a 140 plus jewellery showroom chain, spread across 11 countries around the world, including India, USA, UK, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, there is no stopping Joy Alukkas, who is called 'Man with the Midas Touch'.
GJC has played a crucial role in the last 10 years in improving the compliance level in the industry
07 may 2018
Coming from a renowned family of jewellers based in Akola, Maharashtra, Nitin Khandelwal heads Khandelwal Jewellers (Akola) Pvt Ltd. He has interests in the Plastic industry, Real estate, Health & Recreation and Cold storage industries as well. Nitin Khandelwal was elected Chairman of GJC in 2017 but was associated with the organisation from inception as a torchbearer for various projects initiated by GJC. As an extrovert and a workaholic, Khandelwal's leadership skills, ability to multitask, stickler for punctuality and similar fine qualities has him 'donning many hats' effortless. Here in a Q&A session with Rough & Polished, Nitin Khandelwal speaks on all things he's passionate about... with elan!
Johnson: ASM diamond sector a potential new source of supply for De Beers
03 may 2018
De Beers recently said that it is planning to pilot a programme called GemFair that will create a “secure and transparent route” to market for ethically-sourced artisanal and small-scale mined (ASM) diamonds. GemFair would partner with the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) for the pilot, which would run in Sierra Leone where a number of artisanal mine sites are already participating in the DDI’s Maendeleo Diamond StandardsTM programme. Group head of strategic communications David Johnson told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa in an exclusive interview that although it was still in the early stages, the programme had potential to considerably transform the ASM sector by improving working conditions and potentially open up a new source of supply for De Beers over the longer term. He also talked about the group’s diamond blockchain initiative, environmental protection initiatives and the Venetia underground project, among other things.
