News
Tharisa meets FY2026 guidance, Karo Platinum fully funded as net debt swings to $51m
Tharisa has reported full-year production in line with guidance for both platinum group metals (PGMs) and chrome concentrates, while confirming its Karo Platinum project in Zimbabwe is now fully funded following a $300 million bond issue.
Today
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
Nornickel implements smart melt monitoring system
Norilsk Nickel has installed a smart melt monitoring system at its metallurgical plant in Norilsk in collaboration with Reksoft. The system uses computer vision to assist the converter operator in identifying phases during the tapping process.
Today
ALROSA to help amplify Arctic agenda at UN
In preparation for the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), ALROSA experts and other stakeholders from Russia discussed a unified approach to strengthening the country’s position and the Arctic agenda at UN climate conferences.
Today
Igor Kevchenkov: Money Invested in Polished Diamonds and Gold are the Most Reliable Investments
13 april 2015
Russkaya Yuvelirnaya Kompaniya (Russian Jewellery Company) established in 1998 is now an advanced company manufacturing exclusive jewellery and selling it in the Russian market. The Holding comprises Moskovskaya Yuvelirnaya Fabrika (Moscow Jewellery Factory) and multi-brand stores located in Moscow, Novosibirsk and other Russian cities. The jeweler's retail store chain offers a wide range of goods starting from high-end diamond jewellery sets to the one-of-a-kind designer silver jewellery. It is also a partner of leading Russian and foreign manufacturers like MYuZ, Russkie Samotsvety (Russian Gems), Adamas, MZSS and other firms. Igor Kevchenkov, Director General of Russkaya Yuvelirnaya Kompaniya, answers the questions from Rough&Polished.
De Beers Group turning more sophisticated in their technological line-up to identify synthetics
06 april 2015
Besides diamond mining, The De Beers Group of Companies has been engaged in diamond research for many years and this kind of involvement is now paying back helping the global diamond industry to prevent its market from being eroded by synthetic diamonds. As part of De Beers Group, De Beers Technologies and the International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR) have been quite busy recently developing techniques and producing a range of easy-to-use equipment focused on detecting treated and synthetic diamonds. Simon Lawson, Head of De Beers Technologies UK and Jamie Clark, Commercial Director for the IIDGR described the latest know-how offered to the diamond industry in their interview to Rough&Polished.
White Rivers Exploration seeks JV partner to develop SA alluvial diamond asset
30 march 2015
White Rivers Exploration (WRE) was founded by well-known Australian explorer Mark Creasy in 2007. The company has multi-commodity tenements situated in South Africa’s Witwatersrand gold basin and Natal Coalfields, and is one of the largest gold explorers in the southern African country. Although WRE’s main target is gold, the company was exploring for a suite of 17 commodities with focus on diamonds, manganese, coal, gas and uranium.Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa spoke to Jochen Schweitzer (Director of Shango Solutions, geological consultants to WRE) on the sidelines of the 2015 Mining Indaba, which took place in Cape Town, who provided an overview on WRE’s potential diamond deposit. Below are the excerpts.
We are seeing a slow and steady rise in demand for diamond jewellery - Joy Alukkas
23 march 2015
Joy Alukkas, Chairman and MD of Joyalukkas Group set up his first shop in Abu Dhabi in 1987, which grew into a jewellery retail chain and continued expansion to countries like India, UK, Singapore, Malaysia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Today, the Joyalukkas Group is involved in various businesses other than jewellery, which includes Money Exchange Centres, Luxury Aviation, Malls, Fashion & Silks and Realty. And, in a span of just two decades, the Group has grown into a multi-billion global conglomerate. In an interview with Rough & Polished, Joy Alukkas speaks about his dreams and plans for the future of Joyalukkas Group.
There are immense potentialities in India for diamond mining - T. M. Babu
16 march 2015
Dr. T. M. Babu is an exploration geologist with 40 years of worldwide experience investigating diamonds, gold, tin, platinum, copper, and other rare metals in many parts of the world. He was associated with the Government of India in the Planning Commission and the Geological Survey of India, United Nations Development Programme (USA), BRGM (France), Wardrop Engineering Inc. (Canada), Kyrgyzstan, Coronation International (UK) and several international organizations. He has authored many books related to metals and mining and continues to do so till date... Here, Dr. Babu shares his thoughts with Rough&Polished on his work in geology.
In the diamond business, you are best served with a good measure of optimism, a long term view and lots of hard work
10 march 2015
The Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) dates back to 1937 and is now the world’s largest diamond trading facility giving roof to approximately 3,500 members representing the whole gamut of businesses associated with the treasured mineral. The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between the IDE and Russia’s ALROSA at the International Diamond Week in Israel blessed by Israel's President Reuven Rivlin may ginger up the bilateral turnover adding value to the economies of both countries. Shmuel Schnitzer, President of IDE, in his interview to Rough&Polished told about the role of the Israel Diamond Exchange and shared the latest data on the performance of the diamond industry in his country.
“We believe in the superior craftsmanship of our Belgian Master Cutters”
02 march 2015
S. Muller & Sons founded in 1955 is now a world-renowned diamond manufacturer managed by the third generation of diamantaires led by Jean Claude Muller, the company’s CEO. S. Muller & Sons has an in-house diamond factory, one of the few that still remain in Antwerp, which is producing the now famous Hearts & Arrows Diamonds. The company’s involvement in Hearts & Arrows initiated with its relationship with Mr. Takanori Tamura, the inventor of the Eight-Star Diamond. While attending the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair last February, our correspondents – helped by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre and S. Muller & Sons - took an opportunity to visit the company’s diamond factory, which resulted in the interview with Jean Claude Muller below.
Namibia-De Beers talks scheduled to end in June
24 february 2015
De Beers and the Namibian government have been negotiating over a new diamond-sales agreement for quite some time now. The envisaged new deal would replace a 2007 agreement that allowed De Beers to sell the stones through the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC), a joint venture between Windhoek and De Beers. Namibia’s mines and energy minister Isak Katali told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa on the sidelines of a mining conference in Cape Town recently that the negotiations are now envisaged to end in June this year, if not earlier.
The gemmological education is very important for the industry to build a sound and strong edifice
16 february 2015
The Gemmological Institute of India (GII) plays an important role in the local diamond industry, offering a broad range of services, which include diamond grading and certification, detection of diamond treatments and identification of synthetic diamonds, as well as research and gemological education courses highly popular and widely recognized in the trade in India and abroad having trained more than 5,000 students. The GII runs the only gem and diamond-testing laboratory in Mumbai fully equipped with state-of-the-art instruments. Bakul Mehta, Chairman of the GII, answers the questions from Rough&Polished in the exclusive interview below.
Let us go back to the magic – Stéphane Fischler
09 february 2015
On February 1 to 3, Antwerp hosted the sixth Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair (ADTF) welcoming hundreds of buyers not only from the world’s established jewelry markets, but this time also from the markets, which until recently remained largely unexplored. In his address during the opening ceremony, AWDC President Stéphane Fischler said the ADTF was an important link in Antwerp's annual promotional and marketing campaigns. On the 2 of February, having arrived to Moscow to bid last farewell to Fyodor Andreev, ex-President of ALROSA, Stéphane Fischler gave an interview to Rough & Polished, in which, speaking about the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair, raised a number of other issues of current concern to the global diamond industry.
