‘Namibian banks are not overly exposed to the country’s mining industry’

22 june 2009

Rough & Polished had time to talk to Standard Bank Namibia’s Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Jaco Burger to find out the level of exposure of the bank and other local financiers in the mining industry, especially in the diamond sector, and this is what we gathered.

After the Crisis: Restructuring and Consolidation

15 june 2009

Over the past thirty years the Rosy Blue Group has transformed itself into a global conglomerate and is currently one of the pace-setting firms in the diamond jewelry industry giving jobs to over 10,000 people and managing a $1.8 billion dollar business. The company’s CEO Dilip Mehta recently bestowed the title of baron by the Belgian government for his service in the diamond industry has kindly agreed to give an interview to Rough&Polished correspondent Alex Shishlo in Brussels.

Gold Credits for Russia’s Jewelers Guild

08 june 2009

At the extraordinary meeting of the Guild of Jewelers of Russia Alexander Boguslavsky, General Manger of the Priokski Non-Ferrous Metals Plant, broke the news about “gold credits” which his enterprise was going to issue starting from July 1, 2009 to render support to the domestic jewelry industry. Mr. Boguslavsky has kindly agreed to share the details of this venture with our correspondent.

More Alive than Dead

01 june 2009

The situation on the market of rough and polished diamonds continues to be a hot stuff for many. If not the fate, then at least the foreseeable future of the whole global industry segment depends on it - from the largest diamond-mining companies down to the pettiest jewelry retailers. Lately, things started to change on this market. Taking it into account, Rough&Polished reached out to several industry participants and asked them to answer three questions.

Jeweler-2 Show in Moscow: Worries and Hopes of Mass Retail

25 may 2009

The Exhibition Centre “Sokolniki” in Moscow is currently hosting the Jeweler-2 International Show which attracted wide participation from Russian and foreign companies mainly aimed at mass consumers. The Rough&Polished correspondent asked some of the companies how their business was going in this segment of jewelry business.

Martin Rapaport: Diamonds May Become as Attractive for Investors as Gold

20 may 2009

Martin Rapaport is a famous diamond market expert who is also publishing the Rapaport Price List. We met him at the CIBJO Congress in Istanbul held on May 2-5 and attended by prominent figures of the global jewelry industry to discuss anti-crisis measures, its major subject. Within the framework of this congress Martin Rapaport showed his film shot in Africa and delivered a report on on-line diamond trade. Mr. Rapaport kindly agreed to give this interview for Rough&Polished.

Underground Mines: Mind-Twisting Future of Diamond Industry

18 may 2009

ALROSA’s going underground will be inevitably accompanied by a host of problems – operating, economic and social. The necessity to construct underground mines in Yakutia was recognized by experts more than two decades back and major project decisions were also taken quite a long time ago, while the mining science was not idle all this time. Professional discussion focused on diamond mines construction was permanently under way, but unfortunately it was rarely an object of regard for the expert community studying the diamond market. Lev Puchkov, President of the Moscow State Mining University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor, Doctor of Engineering and one of Russia’s leading experts in the field of underground systems, offers his own point of view for this problem.

Anatoly Golisev: “Belorussian diamond cutters have a wide anti-crisis experience”

12 may 2009

Gomelskoye PO Kristall, a government-owned production amalgamation based in the City of Gomel and established in 1972, is the largest jewelry center in the Republic of Belarus and one of the biggest diamond manufacturers in Europe. Its major area of business is manufacturing and selling “excellent” and “very good” diamonds and jewelry, as well as fulfilling government orders for manufacturing official state decorations and turning out diamond tools, synthetic diamond powder and paste. The company engages more than 1000 workers, engineers, employees and managers.

Anatoly Golisev, General Manager of Kristall, found time to answer the questions of Rough&Polished.

“To the benefit of our industry it is important that the value in a diamond remains an emotional one”

04 may 2009

Overseas Diamonds NV has been operating on the diamond market for almost 25 years ranking among major customers of such diamond-mining companies as De Beers, B.H.P., Rio Tinto and ALROSA. We are pleased to offer our readers the answers given by Davy Lapa, President of Overseas Diamonds NV, to the questions put by Rough&Polished.

Global demand for gold will increase

27 april 2009

Trendfield Energy and Resources is a private international mining and consulting firm exploring West Africa for mining possibilities and developing them into productive and profitable operations for the Asian market, specifically China. Christopher Lyon, its Director of Marketing, shared his views on the current gold market with Yekaterina Davydova, Rough&Polished Asian Bureau Editor in Beijing.