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...

13 january 2025

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...

16 december 2024

Gaetano Cavalieri: CIBJO leading the jewelry industry on critical issues

One of the gem and jewellery industry’s most well-known and respected personalities, Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, has been the president of the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), for the past 23 years. CIBJO is the oldest international organisation...

09 december 2024

Gem Diamonds unearths high-quality 295-ct white stone at Letšeng

12 january 2024

Gem Diamonds has discovered a high-quality 295-carat type II white diamond from its 70%-owned Letšeng mine in Lesotho.

This is the first diamond weighing more than 100 carats recovered by the company this year.

It discovered a 117.47-carat type IIa white diamond on October 29, 2023, which was its fourth diamond weighing over 100 carats retrieved that year.

On September 28, 2023, the miner found a 101.26-carat gem-quality White Type II, as well as a 163.91-carat yellow diamond on June 22 and a 122-carat D-colour Type II white diamond on March 5, 2023.

Gem Diamonds said last November that a decrease in the amount of huge, high-value diamonds recovered, combined with market pressure, had reduced the average dollar per carat and revenue achieved in the third quarter of 2023.

During the quarter, it recorded an average price per carat of $1,310, up from $1,317 the prior year.

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