News
Richemont, Signet in talks to join De Beers consortium – report
Luxury group Richemont and US retailer Signet Jewelers are in advanced talks to join the Global Diamond Consortium (GDC) bidding for De Beers, according to five people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports.
16 october 2026
Rio Tinto begins Q4 of 2026 with strong operational performance
The Anglo-Australian mining group Rio Tinto has reported its third-quarter 2026 results, highlighting strong operational performance.
16 october 2026
Silver market deficit to widen in 2026 - report
In the latest World Silver Survey prepared by the Silver Institute and Metals Focus, the global silver market deficit is forecast to widen for the sixth consecutive year to 46.3 million ounces.
16 october 2026
Tharisa signs PGM offtake deal with Valterra Platinum, expands chrome collaboration
South Africa’s Tharisa has entered a binding arrangement for the sale of PGM concentrate to Rustenburg Platinum Mines, a subsidiary of Valterra Platinum, effective 1 January 2027.
16 october 2026
Norilsk hosts Nornickel’s 3rd Geology and Mine Surveying Forum
The 3rd Geology and Mine Surveying Forum, organized by Nornickel, has kicked off in Norilsk. The event continues to grow in scope, this year bringing together representatives from universities, equipment suppliers, design teams, mining companies, and...
16 october 2026
Lab-created Diamonds: Where to Go from Here
08 september 2017
(paulzimnisky.com) - The natural diamond industry refers to as them synthetic, while the producers of these gems prefer the moniker lab-created or lab-grown. Personally, I think man-made is the most proper description. However, regardless of terminology the development of diamonds not created by nature is advancing faster than ever before. The technology of man commercially producing diamond has existed since the 1950’s, but it was not until about five years ago that an engagement-ring-quality equivalent hit the market. In recent years an unprecedented amount of capital has been invested by companies advancing lab-created diamond production technology aimed at better size, quality, and production economics. The implications of the progression range from possible changes in consumer jewelry traditions and preferences to the advancement of diamond application in a wide array of non-jewelry-related industries. The ultimate magnitude of impact lab-created diamonds will have is of course contingent on many factors. When it comes to jewelry application in particular, I see the success of lab-created diamonds dependent on branding and marketing, production economics, consumer perception of value, and underlying secular demand for diamond jewelry.
Post Vacation View of the Market
07 september 2017
(ehudlaniado.com) - The summer vacations are behind us, and the diamond industry is already in full motion. The range of activity is large, and as we start thinking (and working) towards the important November-December holiday season, it is worthwhile to take stock of where we are, and where we are going. Summertime is a time to relax and unwind. It is also a good time to contemplate the past year, and plan ahead for the next one. So far this year, we had a very difficult market. Valentine’s Day diamond jewelry sales in the US were slow, and demand for diamond jewelry on Mother’s Day was weak. As consumer demand declined, polished diamond prices continued to fall across the board. At the same time, we saw a rise in rough diamond demand from the manufacturing section of the diamond pipeline. The natural result was a sharp rise in polished inventories held by the midstream. Other trends of the past year included poor spending on marketing, and a decline in sales by the leading (and publically held) specialty jewelers in the US as well as in China, the two leading consumer markets. These declines further hurt the diamond industry, because they not only resulted in a decline in wholesale polished diamond purchases, they also resulted in a large scale of returned goods from unsold jewelry items. This exacerbated price declines and stock levels among wholesalers in India, Israel, and Belgium.
Support Services: Mining Contractors
06 september 2017
(ehudlaniado.com) - Diamond mining is perhaps one of the least understood parts of our business pipeline. There are many who spend their entire careers working in the diamond industry without ever stepping foot in a mining camp. The truth is that many of the world’s best-known diamond miners don’t actually do any mining. They may not own a single piece of construction equipment, and may not have a single operator on their payroll. This is often the job of mining contractors, a very important but largely unknown support service in our industry. Let’s take a closer look at these businesses that are so important to the production of our raw material.
Finland’s Arctic welcome
05 september 2017
(resourceclips.com) - Isabel: I would like to introduce the CEO and president of Arctic Star Exploration TSXV:ADD, Patrick Power. Hi Patrick, it is a pleasure to talk to you again. Congratulations on the news on a new member of the board and your new project in Finland. What made the connection to Finland?
Patrick: Thank you, we are very excited and happy about both. Roy Spencer, who you could call the father of the Cinnamon project, found the Grip pipe, 450 kilometres east in Russia as the president of Arctic Angel in 1996. That turned out to be a mine, which started producing about two years ago. But as usual in Russia, he got kicked out before it became productive. He traced chemistry trails to the Finnish border and all those trails originated in Finland somewhere. No exploration was done there in historical terms. You cannot tell the quality of the diamonds from the chemistry, but usually you can tell the amount of diamonds. All that chemistry was flooding in over 80 kilometres with no answers as to the sources. In 2007, Roy drilled first in this new field. The important part of this is that fields usually have a minimum of 30 and a high of 300 pipes. The upside potential is that it is the first pipe in a new field and that is extremely important because it has good chemistry. Infrastructure-wise, the Black and White Wolf, which were the two first pipes discovered—they might actually be one, because they are only 48 metres apart, we will know more about this after further geophysics being done—are only two miles away from a bus stop. Compared to Canada this is amazing infrastructure and that translates right into that you would need far less grade to become a mine. You can have a lot less compared to the north of Canada in order to be still productive. That is a big point!
Crystal clear: What does diamond branding really say?
04 september 2017
(jewellerybusiness.com) - There’s a lot to say about the power of branding. The Polar Bear Diamond was among the first wave of branded diamonds. De Beers had just discontinued its Diamond Promotion Service (DPS), so the timing was opportune. The Polar Bear brand relied on Canadian origin as its primary differentiator; juxtaposing Canada’s pristine image to that of blood and conflict in Africa. The idea of branding a diamond, from the very beginning, is founded in the promotion of one diamond at the expense of others. Ten years ago, I wrote an article for Jewellery Business called “Mark…my words.” My contention then was “too many industry initiatives can effect more confusion than benefit.” So, what has transpired since?
