Diamond market crash is Africa’s opportunity, not its crisis – M'zée Fula Ngenge

Global natural diamond supply is forecast to fall below 95 million carats this year, the lowest since 1987. For Dr. M'zée Fula Ngenge, chairperson of the African Diamond Council (ADC), this is not a death knell but a clarion call. In an exclusive...

12 october 2026

Tracr passes 5 million rough diamonds milestone as De Beers expands provenance push

De Beers Group's blockchain-enabled traceability platform Tracr reached a significant milestone in 2025, with more than 5 million rough diamonds individually scanned and registered, up from 2.8 million cumulative registrations reported in 2024. The...

28 september 2026

South African diamonds head to Hong Kong: SDT partners with BRINKS for JGW 2026

South Africa’s State Diamond Trader (SDT) has confirmed the country's participation in Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong (JGW) 2026 through a partnership with BRINKS. SDT marketing and communication manager Tsholofelo Gopolang Tselapedi...

14 september 2026

David Benderly: PermaScribe seeks to put trust mark on diamond table, not just girdle

In this interview with Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa, PhotoScribe Technologies president and chief executive David Benderly explains how PermaScribe differs technically from conventional laser inscription, its potential to strengthen security, and...

31 august 2026

The great reset: Paul Zimnisky on supply catharsis, De Beers' bargain and the case for natural diamonds

The natural diamond industry is in the throes of its most profound reset in a generation. Supply is plunging to its lowest level since 1987 and De Beers—once valued at over $9 billion—is reportedly being sold for as little as $1 billion.
Lab-grown...

10 august 2026

The Juno diamond changes its name for Claire G and now is worth $13 million

20 june 2022
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Image credit: Sotheby's

The 101.41 carat Juno diamond was sold at Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels in New York for $13 million. This is one of the highest prices ever achieved at auction for an internally flawless D color diamond weighing over 100 carats. Once bought, Juno changed its name turning into Claire G in honor of the wife of a private collector from Asia, who bought it bidding over the phone.
In total, Sotheby's proceeds from the auction in New York reached $52 million. Quig Bruning, Head of Jewels, Sotheby’s Americas commented: “We are thrilled to see this exceptional diamond achieve such a strong result, confirming that there is continued demand from collectors at the highest levels of the market. This diamond has captivated customers around the world on our long travels this spring, but it has been a special privilege to offer it at our global headquarters, where it now ranks among the top five jewels sold in Sotheby’s New York sales room. Including today’s result, only five pear-shaped perfect diamonds weighing over 100 carats were sold at auction, including four at Sotheby’s.”