Helga Pombal: Angola's Stardiam finds solution to the threat posed by lab-grown diamonds

Stardiam manager of production Helga Pombal told Rough&Polished's Mathew Nyaungwa on the sidelines of the Angola International Diamond Conference that lab-grown diamonds are creating a parallel market for more accessible stones, combined with lower...

11 november 2024

Ellah Muchemwa: ADPA to launch Africa's first diamond mining standard next year

The African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), which is based in Luanda, Angola, and represents the interests of mainly African diamond producers and those with the potential to produce diamonds, will next year launch the Sustainable Development...

04 november 2024

Dmitry Fedorov: I want our jewelry to be displayed at a museum in the future

Dmitry Fedorov is the founder of the eponymous jewelry house. His main focus is the creation of Orthodox-inspired premium luxury jewelry of high artistic merit. He told Rough&Polished about his journey in the jewelry industry, about choosing the ‘Orthodox...

28 october 2024

Responsible business practices ‘no longer optional’, says WDC President Feriel Zerouki

The president of the World Diamond Council takes time out of her busy schedule to tell Rough&Polished readers about the critical work of the WDC. Zerouki, the first female present of the body, which includes all the important industry organizations among...

14 october 2024

James Campbell: Botswana Diamonds optimistic as it enters uncharted territory of using AI for mineral exploration

London-listed Botswana Diamonds has expressed optimism about the company’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to scan the exploration database in Botswana to look for new mineralised deposits. Company managing director James Campbell told Rough...

07 october 2024

Norilsk Nickel joins the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance as pending member

26 april 2021
Norilsk Nickel, the world's largest producer of palladium and one of the biggest producers of nickel, platinum, and copper, has joined the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) as a pending member.
The miner is one of the five companies that joined the organisation since January this year.
IRMA said Norilsk and the other mining companies will be pending members until they commence an independent audit of a mine site or exploration/development project.
It said this process works for transparency in their mine review.
The Washington-based organisation seeks to protect people and the environment directly affected by mining.
IRMA said it offers independent third-party verification and certification against a comprehensive standard for all mined materials that provides 'one-stop coverage' of the full range of issues related to the impacts of industrial-scale mines.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished