De Beers is dropping a bomb. For many, it is good news, for others, namely its clients, it is possibly bad news. After a century of selling primarily to a shortlist of contracted buyers that receive a regular supply of rough diamonds, the leading diamond company is planning to add a new kind of regular customer – Accredited Buyers. Read More...

The greatest menace in the diamond industry – today and tomorrow – comes from the nasty breed of people defined as Type II Criminals, who abuse gem-quality synthetic or natural diamonds to defraud. In earlier issues, we mentioned “the hidden stockpile” of Type IIa brown diamonds above 1.8 carats that De Beers has removed from its mining production and simply does not sell. Read More...

Maybe it’s the start of the heavy summer heat that is causing a degree of delirium, and the thought process into a slower mode, sending thoughts into a historical perspective, a somewhat romantic one for sure. “A diamond is forever” the slogan goes, but when did ‘Forever’ start? From a technical standpoint, not a marketing one, diamonds have been around since first found in India. Read More...

It is with some trepidation that I admit that I did it for the first time last week. Technically, there was no problem carrying it out, and I even had fun. I am referring, of course, to attending the 36th World Diamond Congress (WDC), the biennial meetings of the World Federation of Diamond Bourse (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) held in Antwerp. Read More...

Conventional wisdom holds that prices of polished diamonds are bound to go up because demand is rising and supply is shrinking. The idea of declining supply has several premises: 1. Diamonds are a finite resource. 2. The major mines are past their prime and slowly depleting, and 3. No new major resources have been found in the recent past. Read More...

This year was widely touted, just a few months ago, as a breakout year for the global economy in general, and the U.S. economy in particular. However, frustratingly turgid growth in the United States continues, with GDP growing at an annualized rate of only 0.1 percent in the first quarter and the country’s housing rebound has apparently stalled. Read More...

Every business and every industry always aims at growth. At its simplest, growth is a rise in profit. However, that goal requires growth in other areas. For example, a growth in sales, either in the number of units sold or prices per unit. Ideally, a growth in both. This is Econ 101, the introductory material of economics. Read More...

The efforts to reach out and get African producers involved in the Precious Stones Multi-Stakeholder Working Group (PS-MSWG) at last proved successful: representatives from a handful of African nations traveled to Paris. They were joined by some 50 private companies, NGOs and government members of the Multi Stakeholders Working Group. Read More...

The diamond industry is so competitive, that everyone is clamoring for an advantage, no matter how big or small. This race to improve has some fantastic aspects to it, such as a large investment of research & development in technology and even price analysis. One diamond manufacturer, when asked what is keeping him awake at night once told me, “How to improve yield by 3 percent on my 2-3 round goods.” A small technological improvement means an edge from more cost-efficient production. Read More...

On the face of it, Panama certainly seems like a logical place for a new diamond exchange. From the southern tip of Argentina, relatively close to the South Pole, all the way to Mexico and including the Caribbean, there is not a single diamond bourse. According to estimates, this is a market with diamond jewelry sales valued at around $8 billion, so it is certainly a huge region where diamond firms and jewelers can make money. Read More...