Sarine’s David Block: Diamond Industry at Standstill Until Chinese Demand Returns

David Block is CEO of Israel’s Sarine Technologies and has served in the position since 2012. In this exclusive interview for Rough and Polished, Block gives his opinion on the leading issues affecting today’s diamond trade.

11 september 2024

Dr M'zée Fula Ngenge: Demand for considerable-sized diamonds stronger than ever

The African Diamond Council (ADC) chairperson Dr M'zée Fula Ngenge told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa in an exclusive interview that although overall global diamond prices have been somewhat soft, the demand for considerable-sized diamonds...

02 september 2024

Amplats sees prospects as a standalone company

Anglo has revealed its plans to demerge Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), which has operations in South Africa and Zimbabwe, to optimise shareholder value. Rough&Polished contacted Amplats to comment on this and other issues but was referred...

19 august 2024

WFDB President Yoram Dvash Remains Confident Despite Global Diamond Challenges

Yoram Dvash is President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) having been elected in 2020. He found time in his busy schedule to speak to Rough&Polished about the state of the diamond industry around the world and some of the major...

12 august 2024

Lyudmila Vysotskaya: Amber is a mystical stone, a living substance

Lyudmila Vysotskaya is a Kaliningrad-based amber artist and designer, expert, chairwoman of the Amber Academy and member of the Creative Union of Artists in Decorative and Applied Arts. This summer, visitors could admire the art works by Lyudmila Vysotskaya...

30 july 2024

Diamond Revenue Can’t Cover Pay Raise for Civil Servants, Zanu-PF Says

23 january 2012

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party has warned that money from the sales of the country’s diamonds cannot supply all of Zimbabwe’s budgetary needs, the Voice of America reports cited by Israelidiamond.co.il.
According to Rugare Gumbo, a Zanu-PF spokesman, the government should seek funds from Western nations that have sanctioned Mugabe and other government officials.
Zanu-PF’s coalition partner, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), is calling to use revenue from diamond sales to pay civil servants, who are threatening a national strike unless their wages are increased.
According to VoP, the government already dipped into its diamond money in 2011 to offer public employees a pay raise, a move that failed to solve the ongoing crisis.