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

Concentration of detergents in the Black Sea exceeds norm by 15 times

15 august 2024

Research conducted by members of the Russian Academy of Sciences has revealed an alarming rate of water pollution in resort areas of the Russian part of the Black Sea, nia.eco reports.

During the research, it was found that in some areas, the concentration of detergents and disinfectants exceeds the established norms by 13-15 times.

This significant pollution has a serious negative impact on the living conditions of aquatic organisms, leading to adverse changes in the ecosystem.

Changes in the concentration of detergents in the Black Sea has been increasing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the use of various disinfectants increased dramatically. These chemicals are able to penetrate into the cells of living organisms and disrupt their physiological processes, including changes in acidity levels.

To combat the environmental consequences of pollution of the Black Sea with detergents, scientists propose to create a list of toxic products and establish acceptable doses of their use, as well as raise public awareness of the potential threat of detergents to the environment and health, especially in conditions of large-scale epidemics.

Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished