Diamond market crash is Africa’s opportunity, not its crisis – M'zée Fula Ngenge

Global natural diamond supply is forecast to fall below 95 million carats this year, the lowest since 1987. For Dr. M'zée Fula Ngenge, chairperson of the African Diamond Council (ADC), this is not a death knell but a clarion call. In an exclusive...

Yesterday

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

Norilsk Nickel implements innovative X-soft exoskeletons at its enterprises

22 february 2024

Norilsk Nickel has started using innovative X-soft exoskeletons at its enterprises. According to the company, the new tech is set to preserve the health of electrolyzer workers and make their work safer.

"A batch of 52 exoskeletons was purchased by Norilsk Nickel for the Copper Plant. This invention makes it possible to significantly reduce the level of injuries at work and preserve the health of employees. In fact, this is also the prevention of occupational diseases. Electrolyzer workers have very heavy physical loads and difficult working conditions. So, one employee has to lift and carry copper scrap during a shift, the weight of which can reach 50 kilograms," says Dmitry Kopeikin, manager of the Department of Industrial Safety and Health of the processing and metallurgical complex.

Representatives of the Vostok-Service manufacturing company personally demonstrated to the company's employees how to properly put on an exoskeleton, spoke about its maintenance and care.

According to Rosstat data for 2021, 23% of the total volume of occupational injuries are connected to the musculoskeletal system. As a rule, such a large percentage is associated with serious physical exertion, improper lifting and weight transfer.

The exoskeleton helps to evenly distribute the load on the back and legs, thereby minimizing the risk of injury, and long-term, the development of an occupational disease.

Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished