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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
Artur Salyakayev: For me, happiness is freedom to make my ideas happen and create valuable products
Artur Salyakayev is an art entrepreneur, founder of the International Jewelry Academy (IJA) and the INCRUA jewelry company. He has initiated and developed successful projects in jewelry industry and services sector. He is also a leading expert...
30 september 2024
Paul Zimnisky: China key for sustained recovery in demand for natural diamonds, prices
The curtailing of upstream and midstream natural diamond production in the past months is starting to have an effect on prices, according to the New-York-based independent diamond and jewellery analyst and consultant, Paul Zimnisky. He told Rough & Polished’s...
23 september 2024
Botswana, De Beers extend sales agreement for the third time running
“Following further positive progress towards a new agreement being made in the first half of 2022, the two parties have agreed to the one-year extension to enable the finalisation of the ongoing discussions”, De Beers said in a press release distributed on Wednesday.
Initially, the ten-year diamond sales agreement was due to expire at the end of 2020, but was extended to the end of 2021, then to the end of 2022 and now for one more year. Last year, De Beers said the second extension would give the company and Gaborone time to complete discussions regarding the contract renewal and noted good progress achieved at that time.
De Beers brought the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) to Botswana under the current deal, which also paved the way for the country to receive 15% of the total Debswana output for sale by the state-owned Okavango Diamond Company.
Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi is advocating for higher added value in the country’s diamond industry and pushing for more polished diamonds to be manufactured locally, which may require a larger share of mined rough to be left for domestic processing.