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

SA PGM, gold miner cautious about battery metal deals

23 august 2022
Sibanye-Stillwater, one of the platinum group metals (PGM) and gold producers in South Africa is not in a hurry to conclude battery metal deals until fears of a recession diminish, according to media reports.
MiningMx reports that the caution was due to weak PGM prices and the miner was also facing a $1.2 billion legal suit, launched by Appian Capital Advisory, the UK private investor from which Sibanye-Stillwater had agreed to buy two mines in Brazil.
It walked out of the deal last December claiming a “material adverse advent”, but Appian was not happy with the decision.
Production at Sibanye-Stillwater’s US PGM mines was also halted due to flooding while a three-month strike at its gold mines in South Africa led to production losses.
Meanwhile, MiningMx quoted company chief executive Neal Froneman as saying that they are not interested in being a contract miner to electric vehicle battery manufacturers.
Sibanye-Stillwater prefers commercial relationships, which allows it to participate in the downstream industry.
“Are we going to invest in a car company, no! But we do want strategic formal relationships because we want to work in ecosystems with like-minded people and become pandemic-resilient,” Froneman said.
“I think you are going to see more of it. The supply of metal is going to be the key constraint in just about any of these transformations, so those that have the metal are going to have the leverage.”

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