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

Vladimir Pilyushin: The jewelry market is not stand-alone and moves by the same laws as other markets

Vladimir Pilyushin is editor-in-chief of Russian Jeweler, a leading magazine about the jewelry industry in Russia. He told Rough&Polished about his view on the evolution of the jewelry industry in Russia and touched upon some of its problems.

16 september 2024

Belgium still opposes sanctions against Russian diamonds

03 february 2023
The tenth package of European Union sanctions against Russia, expected on February 24, will not include a ban on the import of Russian diamonds, writes the Belgian newspaper L’Echo.
European "hawks", led by Poland and the Baltic states, want to include the Russian diamond sector in the sanctions list at any cost.
Belgium behind the scenes, the newspaper writes, still opposes this, offering as an alternative to create a system for tracking the origin of rough diamonds.
L’Echo notes that every time the European Union discusses a new package of sanctions against Russia, the Kiev authorities demand that Brussels include Russian diamonds in the list.
However, the Belgian Government, for its part, is making every effort to prevent this step and, as a result, to prevent the collapse of the Antwerp diamond industry, which is the world's largest center of trade in rough diamonds and diamonds.

Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished