The huge Altar Gospels at the Kremlin, in Moscow, decorated with gold silver, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, are something to behold. They were the bling of their day - the 17th and 18th centuries - an opulent show of wealth and religious dedication by... Read More...

What's happened to Alrosa and its "colossal safety margin"? Russia's state-controlled diamond miner was fighting fit and ready for whatever the G7 nations could throw at it, the finance ministry boasted in January. There would be no need to for the government ... Read More...

It's more than two decades since the diamond industry underwent an upheaval on this scale. It was back in January 2003 that the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was launched to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the mainstream rough Read More...

It's a turbulent time for many in the diamond industry. Traders in Antwerp have been tearing their hair out for the last three weeks, since the G7 sanctions on Russian goods were introduced. Shipments that should take 24 hours to clear Customs are still languishing... Read More...

Baffled by the G7 sanctions on Russian diamonds? You're not alone. Frankly it's been a bit of a muddle, and you'd be forgiven for losing track. The simple version is that the G7 nations - US, UK, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, plus the 27 EU countries... Read More...

Banks don't like risk . . . and they don't like diamonds. Their view, right or wrong, is that diamonds and diamond-based jewelry are a risky business, and they'd rather stick with safer bets. None of that will come as a big surprise if you're reading this. If you ... Read More...

What does the future hold for De Beers? Things haven't been easy for anyone in the diamond industry of late. Inflation and interest rates are up, lab grown sales are up, inventories are up, prices are down, China's post-Covid recovery has been sluggish, and... Read More...

It's just over a week until US sanctions on Russian diamonds take effect (1 March) and nobody yet knows how they'll work. Neither OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control), the government body that is imposing them, nor the US Customs ... Read More...

Question: When is a lab grown diamond not a lab grown diamond? Answer: When you're in France. By law, you have to call it a "diamant de synthese" or "synthetique" - "synthetic diamond" or "synthetic". Those are the only acceptable terms.... Read More...

It's like something from a whodunnit - a suspected diamond thief is trapped by invisible inscriptions on the stolen gems. The chances are they didn't even realize there was such a thing, even though the laser technology has been around since the 80s... Read More...