Though we are generally supportive of the NGOs Global Witness and Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), their calls for the suspension of Zimbabwe from the Kimberley Process (KP) are totally misplaced and will only widen the suffering of the Zimbabwean people, while benefiting no one. Read More...

“As a military helicopter hovered over the diamond fields of Chiadzwa in eastern Zimbabwe, police on horseback moved in with attack dogs to remove thousands of illegal diggers who had poured in, hoping to get rich. The diggers resisted, attacking the dogs with iron bars. The police opened fire from the helicopter, routing them. By the time it was all over, dozens lay dead.” Read More...

During the present economic crisis, our collective (and journalistic) attention is so focused on the major issues that otherwise-also-important stories take a backseat. However, journalistic fairness requires us to follow up on a particular Diamond Dealers Club-related arbitration story we covered earlier this year. An arbitration proceeding in which a $641,736.23 judgment was handed against an Israeli diamantaire... Read More...

We are so preoccupied with “preserving consumer confidence” that in any situation we will flash a smile and assert that things are beautiful...that the diamond is forever. Read More...

One of the first victims in any crisis situation is ‘hard information’ – potentially impacted people are reacting to rumors, to uncertainties, and too often panic becomes the driver of ‘rational’ decision making. Just ask any banker about runs on the bank. Read More...

In a letter to clients, Alrosa’s VP Oulin wrote, “Your company is one of Alrosa’s principal partners and has a record of long-term and successful cooperation with us. We look forward to a fruitful continuation of our business relationship and invite you to take an active part in the October trading session.” Read More...

At the same time that governments and central banks were pouring trillions of dollars into the world’s financial markets to save them, De Beers pooled all of its resources in preparation for launching the single-greatest consumer advertising blitz in the history of the company. It isn’t just throwing good money away. Though De Beers has no illusions, it recognizes a real opportunity to increase the share spent on diamonds out of the total consumer expenditure. Read More...

The current global financial and economic turbulence has apparently triggered an acute loss of memory to some of our industry’s players, generating melancholic calls for a return to the “remedies of the past” – ignoring that certain historical market-management practices are patently illegal today and are not in anyone’s best interest. Read More...

Please meet Sarah Winterton, the Secretary of CIBJO Europe. She is in charge of implementing CIBJO’s strategy to achieve an EU-wide diamond terminology legislation, followed by the eventual adoption of a worldwide standard for synthetics nomenclature and diamond grading. Read More...

Governments have committed hundreds of billions of dollars to stabilize the world’s financial systems. A back of the envelope exercise shows that the commitments have passed the trillion dollar level and that is still an insignificant figure compared to the trillions that have been vaporized by falling stock prices and bank write-offs. Read More...