Q. To begin, could you kindly introduce your role as Botswana’s Minister of Minerals and Energy, and share your current priorities for the country’s minerals and energy agenda? As Minister of Minerals and Energy, I have the privilege of helping steward two sectors that sit at the centre of Botswana’s economic story and increasingly, at … Read more
Q. Antwerp now stands as the only major diamond hub with tariff-free access to the crucial US market. How does this unique position immediately change the competitive dynamic with major polishing centers like India, which faces a significant 50% tariff? It is clear that this is a major boost to diamond manufacturing in Antwerp. Although the labor … Read more
Q) What impact does the US market have on India’s gem and jewellery exports? A: In FY 2024-25, India’s gem and jewellery exports to the US stood at USD 9.97 billion, accounting for about 33% of India’s total exports of around USD 30 billion to the world. In other words, nearly one-third of India’s gem and … Read more
Q. In a recent article you list technology as one of the greatest threats to our industry. Can you please explain this surprising statement? Technology is not the problem. In fact, I clearly acknowledge in the article that tech has brought remarkable innovations in diamond cutting, grading, and supply chain transparency. These tools have elevated … Read more
Q. What is the role of the JVC in representing the industry in negotiations about import tariffs? The Jewelers Vigilance Committee’s role is focused on providing legal compliance education and guidance to our membership and the jewelry industry at large. We do not lobby as a general practice, but we do advocate for the industry at … Read more
A few weeks before the Hong Kong show, the Hong Kong and China markets started to pick up after the Chinese New Year holiday. Sales and sentiment improved significantly. The Southeast Asian market also performed well over the past year, with local economies in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia showing strong growth. … Read more
Q. You recently published an article in IDEX about lab-grown diamonds being offered with GIA natural diamond certificates. How can that happen? It was exactly nine years ago this week that I reported on Alibaba sending promotional emails to millions of potential diamond buyers, offering “CVD Lab-Grown Diamonds with GIA Natural Diamond Certificates” as a … Read more
1. In the past year there have been several cases reported of lab-grown diamonds being fraudulently labelled as natural diamonds, in some cases bearing fake inscriptions. What has been GIA’s experience with this? We have encountered several laboratory-grown diamonds that have been cut to fraudulently and closely match natural diamonds graded by GIA. In addition … Read more
1. What are the goals of the WDC for the next few months and for all of 2025?Our primary goal is to strenghen the Kimberley Process (KP) as a whole during its final year of the current review and reform cycle. We will continue chairing the discussions on the expansion of the definition of “conflict … Read more
Q. GET-Diamonds was just relaunched under a new licensing agreement. How did that come about? After the inception of GET-Diamonds in 2020, followed by a concentrated effort to develop and grow the technology, we were looking for ‘GET’s Next Phase’: Finding a commercial company that would operate the platform under a licensing agreement. We were … Read more
