​PRESSING MATTERS

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

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

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...

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...

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...

One thing I’ve always admired about entrepreneurs is their ability to pivot — and the same can be said of diamantaires. Our industry...

In recent weeks, I’ve been opening this memo with thoughts on the challenges and opportunities we face not just as members of the diamond...

Attention is everything. It’s the new currency for entrepreneurs — and the hardest one to hold on to. Whether you’re building a brand,...

De Beers Global Sightholder Sales office in Botswana. (De Beers) This week’s De Beers sight could be an important test of midstream...

Fabergé has a rich history in diamonds and jewelry, as the blog post Fabergé & Diamonds  recounts. Among its standout pieces is the...

Panic is Never a Strategy!   That little mantra from trusty old Jim Cramer has always stuck with me — and it’s just as true for the...

I have at times been called a bit of a doomsday specialist when it comes to my coverage of the diamond market. And, honestly, I’ve had...

It seems the synthetics debate knows no bounds — it’s back front and center in industry conversations this week. I break down what I...

Feeling a bit more upbeat about the market this week, mainly thanks to some encouraging murmurs about a slight uptick in diamond jewelry...

Believe it or not, I only just got back from Las Vegas.   What started as a quick two-week trip turned into a six-week global tour thanks...

Can you believe we’re already halfway through 2025? It’s been a wild ride so far and this past week delivered another wave of dramatic...

We’ve reached the midpoint of the year, and if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that the first half of 2025 has kept the...

It was a historic week for the diamond industry with the signing of the Luanda Accord. The significance of this agreement – signed by...