DIAMOND GEMS WEEKLY

It’s Thanksgiving week, the first real marker of the holiday season, and the coming weekend still ranks among the busiest shopping periods of the year. It has lost some of its old chaos, mind you. A small part of me misses the midnight scrums, the elbows, the hair-pulling over that final discounted TV. Maybe we have matured into a more civilized society – one hopes so even if I still find myself watching those old Black Friday clips on YouTube.   The frenzy has eased, I think

The diamond industry must brace itself for another shakeup as restrictions on Russian supply may be lifted sooner than anticipated.   Alrosa’s reintroduction to the market should now be considered an imminent possibility, after President Trump presented a 28-point draft proposal in Kyiv to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The plan, developed with Moscow’s input, maps out phased and selective sanction relief, a path for Russia to rejoin the G8, and broader US-Russia economic coope

The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) is close to receiving the funds pledged under the Luanda Accord signed in July.   Two separate commitments came out of that meeting in the Angolan capital. The first was a structural one, with signatories agreeing to establish a mechanism that allocates 1% of rough-diamond sales to the NDC. The aim is to support the council’s budget from next year (2026) onward, and create a more stable way for the industry to fund consumer-facing marketing f

It may not feel like it, but this could be a consequential week for the diamond industry. The Kimberley Process (KP) plenary is taking place in Dubai, with several long-running issues on the agenda, having reached a stage where they demand resolution.   The sense of urgency comes partly from the UAE’s two-year chairmanship drawing to a close. Its term brought rare stability, structure, and focus to a role that usually rotates annually and too often lacks those elements. The U

US tariffs are back in focus following last week’s Supreme Court hearing on whether the Trump administration’s implementation of the trade policy was lawful. The justices voiced skepticism about the president’s use of powers to impose the levies, but the higher tariffs are expected to stay in place at least through early next year.   For now, it falls to individual trading centers to ensure diamonds are part of their own governments’ negotiations with Washington.   Looking ba

The diamond industry stands at a pivotal moment in its evolution, facing a convergence of internal pressures and external forces that demand new ways of thinking and operating.   I had the privilege of facilitating a strategic discussion at the CIBJO Congress in Paris that examined these challenges, from shifting global demand and the rise of lab-grown diamonds to the squeeze on mid-tier retail and growing supply constraints amid mine closures and traceability requirements. P

Geopolitics has taken on a far more influential role in the diamond trade in recent years, with three key issues shaping the industry’s discourse in 2025: escalating US tariffs, restrictions on Russian diamonds, and the European Union’s tightening ESG regulations.   These interconnected forces are driving the trade toward greater transparency, traceability, and accountability, placing particular pressure on SMEs to keep pace with evolving standards.   I was honored to moderat

Solitaire International: As the US holiday retail season begins, affluent consumers are continuing to spend on luxury goods, while budget-conscious shoppers are increasingly drawn to promotions and value-driven offerings.   This divide suggests that high-end and big-ticket jewelry may perform well, though overall volumes could stagnate as middle-income households rein in spending. Retail jewelers are therefore sharpening their strategies: luxury brands are emphasizing exclusi

Why do I always feel the need to start each new month by saying to myself (and anyone within earshot), “Can you believe it’s already [insert month here]?”   Well, here we are — it’s November! Can you believe it? That means the holiday season has somehow crept up on us again. While Thanksgiving weekend is often seen as the cultural kickoff, retailers officially count their holiday sales from November 1 through December 31.   So, by my calendar, it’s officially begun, and I’m w

I’ve been on the move these past few days, attending the CIBJO Congress in Paris, and despite my best efforts, I missed my self-imposed Monday deadline — so, happy Tuesday.   CIBJO — the World Jewellery Confederation — kicked off its centenary year in the city of its birth, with celebrations set to continue at next year’s congress in Vicenza. If you’re not familiar, CIBJO is essentially an association of associations spanning the full jewelry spectrum. It plays many roles, bu

The Louvre's Galerie d’Apollon. (Credit: Louvre) Thieves broke into the  Louvre  early Sunday, October 19, stealing several royal jewels from the museum’s famed Galerie d’Apollon (pictured, right), which houses France’s Crown Jewels. The stolen pieces include gems once belonging to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense and Empresses Marie-Louise and Eugénie. Police have recovered part of the loot and launched an investigation after the burglars fled, abandoning a burned-out getawa

So they hit the Louvre and made off with historic gems. I don’t know why I get so sentimental about these things. And it’s not just jewelry; I get similarly peeved when activists throw ketchup on great works of art.   This time, with royal tiaras, necklaces, and brooches once worn by Empress Eugénie and other Napoleonic-era figures among the stolen items, one can’t help but feel a sense of tragedy at the thought of such important pieces being dismantled and lost forever. Then

Amid the flurry of holiday marketing activity, one notable silence stands out — that of the Natural Diamond Council (NDC).   The NDC hasn’t launched a holiday campaign because it simply doesn’t have the funds to do so. Commitments made under the Luanda Accord in July have yet to be fulfilled.   That agreement saw governments and industry bodies pledge 1% of the value of rough diamond sales to finance a global marketing effort promoting natural diamonds. The funds were meant t

A big thank-you to everyone who joined last week’s Business of Jewelry Roundtable. Both sessions offered such different — yet equally...

Sale of De Beers Botswana President Duma Boko. (Youtube.com/@AntwerpWorldDiamondCentre ) The Government of Botswana intends to secure a...

Do you also have a love-hate relationship with ChatGPT? Oh! My! Gosh! It drives me bananas. To be clear, I use the AI program for many...

What does the diamond industry want, or expect, from the new owners of De Beers, whoever they turn out to be?   Should we expect a...

Solitaire International: After nearly three years of declines, America’s mid-market jewelers finally posted growth in the first half of...

It’s a shorter week for many, with Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) sneaking up on us — as new years tend to. The clustering of...

The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has released a series of reports across key areas of the trade ahead of its Congress in Paris...