An acquaintance of mine runs a small diamond business. He does not have a web site, nor does he have a Facebook page. He is not LinkedIn, would have no idea how to Tweet and, frankly, could not care less about social media marketing. Sending emails, and texts via his smartphone, more or less defines his familiarity with the world of instant communications. Read More...

What an odd year it was. Polished diamond prices, which tried to rise in the early part of the year, were nearly flat throughout the second half of 2013. Rough diamonds, trading at a very different pace than in the past, were under tremendous pressure by manufacturers to bring down prices – and at times, this pressure was very effective. The rationale for bringing down rough diamond prices was that retailers are buying goods at a lower than expected volume while stalling any attempts to increase their outlay on diamonds. Read More...

Are you marketing your company and products in the most efficient way? Are you using still a mix of email blasts to hundreds or thousands of people on purchased lists, cold calling, telemarketing, expensive attendance at trade shows that may not be relevant to you? Many firms use a scattergun approach, shooting far and wide in the hope of hitting a small number of the right customers, but it is a strategy that has become increasingly out-of-date. Read More...

This is my last column for 2013. In less than two weeks 2013 will end, and another tough year for the diamond industry will be finished. In the past, this column discussed events in the industry characterized by illegal actions, immoral behavior and a host of other wrongdoings. It led to the conclusion that these actions will hurt the image of diamonds and diamond jewelry in the eyes of consumers. Read More...

Who wouldn't like to be a top official at one of the diamond industry's international organizations, a diamantaire asked me this week. Flying first class, nice hotels, fancy dinners, meeting ministers and presidents, giving speeches and receiving or giving awards. All dutifully reported by the diamond industry trade press. Read More...

It used to be that having a supply contract with De Beers, having a Sight, was a top honor. It was a stamp of approval that you are a top player in the game, a member of an exclusive and elite club. The industry’s reigning Queen, a monolithic power that had great influence over the entire industry, bestowed the great honor. It behaved that way as well. Read More...

The year’s gloom may have a happy, or at least a semi-happy end. It’s far from being obvious, so it's worth examining. A group of diamond jewelry retailers have recently reported their outlook for the coming months, including the holiday season, along with their third quarter results. Read More...

The Oxford Dictionaries UK Word of the Year 2012 was ‘omnishambles.’ The word describes “a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, and is characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations.” What word would lexicographers of the diamond industry select for 2013? Read More...

In recent months, we have discussed in this column the retail scenarios, including expectations for future sales. Our outlook has been generally cautious, offering data that indicates rising jewelry sales, while pointing out that diamond jewelry sales are losing market share, for example. Read More...

Congratulations are due to the UN following the announcement by the M23 rebel force in the Democratic Republic of Congo that it is disarming, thus ending a long-lasting insurgency in the country. Read More...