Tracr passes 5 million rough diamonds milestone as De Beers expands provenance push

De Beers Group's blockchain-enabled traceability platform Tracr reached a significant milestone in 2025, with more than 5 million rough diamonds individually scanned and registered, up from 2.8 million cumulative registrations reported in 2024. The...

28 september 2026

South African diamonds head to Hong Kong: SDT partners with BRINKS for JGW 2026

South Africa’s State Diamond Trader (SDT) has confirmed the country's participation in Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong (JGW) 2026 through a partnership with BRINKS. SDT marketing and communication manager Tsholofelo Gopolang Tselapedi...

14 september 2026

David Benderly: PermaScribe seeks to put trust mark on diamond table, not just girdle

In this interview with Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa, PhotoScribe Technologies president and chief executive David Benderly explains how PermaScribe differs technically from conventional laser inscription, its potential to strengthen security, and...

31 august 2026

The great reset: Paul Zimnisky on supply catharsis, De Beers' bargain and the case for natural diamonds

The natural diamond industry is in the throes of its most profound reset in a generation. Supply is plunging to its lowest level since 1987 and De Beers—once valued at over $9 billion—is reportedly being sold for as little as $1 billion.
Lab-grown...

10 august 2026

Roman Karakurkchi: Maintaining the highest standards of jewelry craftsmanship

Roman Karakurkchi is the founder of the Roman Karakurkchi jewelry brand and the International Jewellery School that brings together instructors from Russia, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Germany, as well as students from 65 countries...

03 august 2026

CleanTech commissions lithium production plant in Chile

26 march 2024

CleanTech Lithium (CTL), an exploration and development company advancing lithium projects in Chile, has commenced production of lithium chloride eluate at its Copiapó processing plant, a part of the Laguna Verde project.

The plant has a design capacity of one tonne of lithium carbonate equivalent per month. The company plans to ship its produce to North America for conversion into battery-grade lithium carbonate.

"Our pilot plant has commenced operation with the first volume of lithium chloride eluate produced," said the company's CEO Aldo Boitano.

"The pilot plant positions CTL as a leader in the sector and in Chile, with first eluate production representing a significant milestone for the company."

In the initial stages of the project, CleanTech plans to offer samples of the product to potential strategic partners such as major auto and battery manufacturers, in preparation for off-take agreements.

Theodor Lisovoy, Editor in Chief of the European bureau, Rough&Polished