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

Expert: global warming leads to a reduction in the sakura blossom period in Japan

13 march 2024

The process of global warming has an impact on the sakura cherry blossom season in Japan, leading to a reduction in its duration and a change in the boundaries of tree growth areas, said Daisuke Sasano, a specialist in climate risk management at the National Meteorological Agency of Japan, in an interview with TASS.

"From about the middle of this century until its end, the time from the beginning of cherry blossom season to full bloom will be reduced. This will lead to a shorter flowering time frame and fewer days to enjoy the full cherry blossom. It may also affect regions where the cherry blossom season is the main tourist attraction," he said.

At the same time, the expert noted that the probability of extinction of certain types of sakura in Japan is currently low, and global warming should not seriously affect this.

In Japan, the sakura flower with five petals has the status of an unofficial national coat of arms. The time of full flowering of the Far Eastern cherry usually falls on April, when the country's parks are "drowned" in a sea of flowers of all shades of pink.

This period is considered one of the most popular for visiting Japan among foreign tourists.

Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished