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T3 Diamonds founder Tshepo Molusi told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa at the inaugural South Africa Diamond Show in Cape Town that the shop opened an opportunity for diamond manufacturers under the incubation to export their products to China. He...

Yesterday

Nosiphiwo Mzamo: South Africa’s State Diamond Trader to buy diamonds from other African countries

South Africa’s State Diamond Trader (SDT) is set to buy diamonds from other African countries starting with Botswana. SDT’s chief executive Nosiphiwo Mzamo told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa at the country’s inaugural diamond show, which...

10 february 2025

Edahn Golan: Halo effect from lab-grown diamonds driving high demand for large, 2-carat natural stones in the U.S.

Edahn Golan, owner of the eponymous Edahn Golan Diamond Research and Data, told Rough & Polished's Mathew Nyaungwa in an exclusive interview that their research found a halo effect from lab-grown diamonds. He said the trend among lab-grown diamond...

27 january 2025

Paul Zimnisky: We will see a modest recovery in natural diamond demand and prices in 2025

According to Paul Zimnisky, an independent diamond and jewellery analyst and consultant based in the New York metro area, the natural diamond industry will see a modest recovery in demand and prices this year. Zimnisky said a moderate recovery would...

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African Diamond Council makes traceability its top priority, wants KP to embrace Authentia.io

The African Diamond Council (ADC) has made traceability its foremost priority and has been contributing to a traceability solution called Authentia.io for the last three and a half years, which is now ready to globally satisfy the traceability...

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Botswana President dubs lab-grown stones as "microwave diamonds"

30 october 2023

Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi has expressed his dislike for lab-grown diamonds, which he described as “microwave diamonds”, according to diamond analyst Edahn Golan.

He said this at the FACETS Conference held in Gaborone, Botswana, last week, drawing laughter from the participants.

However, an observer said on X that “name calling seems to be the norm of the natural [diamond] industry; they just don’t understand yet; the more the name calling, the higher its relevancy”.

Botswana news agency BOPA quoted Masisi as saying that the prospect of lab-grown diamonds was still a concern.

"These man-made gems have rapidly gained ground in the market, posing both challenges and opportunities for the industry," Masisi said.

He said the crucial factor in preserving a flourishing market for natural diamonds lies in implementing efficient segmentation and marketing strategies.

Masisi said that segmentation categorises diamonds by origin, whether natural or lab-grown.

"It aims to preserve natural diamonds as a premium product that commands a significantly higher price per carat than lab-grown diamonds," he said.

“This differentiation is primarily driven by marketing strategies and the ability to appeal to distinct customer groups.”

Botswana is a leading natural diamond producer in volume terms after Russia.

The southern African country gets about 30% of its revenues and 70% of its foreign exchange earnings from diamonds.

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