PRELUDE
 ENSURING THE TERMS OF BATTLE ARE TRUTH AND FAIRNESS
Coleby Nicholson, managing editor of Jeweller
A lot has happened since our last Great Diamond Debate. The continuing brouhaha concerning natural versus lab-grown diamonds is nothing but a latter-day ‘land grab’, in this case for the hearts and minds of consumers. Read more »
FEATURE STORY
 NAVIGATING CHANGE: HOW 2019 SHAPED THE DIAMOND DEBATE
Arabella Roden, assistant editor of Jeweller
In the 12 months since Jeweller’s first Great Diamond Debate, there has been more upheaval in both the natural and lab-grown categories. ARABELLA RODEN explores the implications for retailers, consumers ... Read more »
PANEL OF INDUSTRY EXPERTS  MAKING THE CALL FOR TOTAL TRANSPARENCY AND TRUST
Jean-Marc Lieberherr, CEO of the Diamond Producers Association For reasons that are inherent to the nature of the product and the history of the industry, the diamond sector has long been seen as lacking transparency. Read more »
 SUSTAINABLY CREATED: THAT IS THE FUTURE OF DIAMONDS
Martin Roscheisen, CEO of Diamond Foundry Predicting the future is harder than shaping it – but creating a sustainable future is paramount, which is why many couples around the world are now choosing ... Read more »
 SUSTAINABILITY AND GEM TRACKING HAVE ARRIVED IN FORCE
Russell Shor, senior industry analyst at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
This year, businesses have begun to take action towards consumer concerns about sustainability and the origins of the products they buy. Read more »
 QUESTIONING THE ETHICS OF SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS
Martin Rapaport, founder of Rapaport Group Synthetic diamonds are a fundamental threat to the natural diamond industry. They are not just a competitive product like gems, pearls or gold jewellery – they are a replacement product. Read more »
 KEEP YOUR DIAMONDS TRANSPARENT TO AVOID MISLEADING CONSUMERS
Ernie Blom, president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) The Great Diamond Debate is a very important conversation that continues to develop. As president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), the largest global diamond... Read more »
 SYNTHETIC, CREATED, LAB-GROWN: WHAT SHOULD WE CALL THESE DIAMONDS?
Paul Zimnisky, independent diamond industry analyst and consultant When James Allen, the online subsidiary of US jewellery group Signet Jewelers, began offering man-made diamonds in ... Read more »
 IS THE OSTRICH FINALLY LIFTING ITS HEAD OUT OF THE SAND?
Dror Yehuda, president of Yehuda Diamond Company
It’s a myth that, when faced with danger, ostriches bury their heads in the sand. In fact, they usually face the threat head on. Read more »
 THE INDUSTRY MUST SUPPORT NATURAL DIAMONDS
Boaz Moldawsky, chairman of Israel Diamond Institute The Israeli diamond industry is one of the most respected in the world, with more than 80 years of tradition. Israel leads the industry in its unwavering commitment to natural diamonds. Read more »
 THE NATURAL DIAMOND INDUSTRY IS FACING DISRUPTION IN EVERY ASPECT
Sergey Ivanov, CEO of Alrosa We work in a unique industry, one that makes it possible for our customers to express and capture their real feelings and emotions, and and celebrate achievements in their life... Read more »
 DON’T BLAME SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS FOR THE NATURAL INDUSTRY’S WOES
Garry Holloway, founder of Melbourne's Holloway Diamonds There is a popular theory that synthetic diamonds are killing the natural, mined diamond business. That’s fake news! The natural diamond industry is doing a better job at harming itself than the ... Read more »
 IMPORTANT LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNT FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF LIGHTBOX
Sally Morrison, chief marketing officer at Lightbox Jewelry While the awareness of lab-grown diamonds may generally be increasing, confusion about the product obviously still exists. Read more »
 RETAILERS, IT’S TIME TO FOLLOW THE LEADER – YOUR CUSTOMER
Marty Hurwitz, CEO of MVI Marketing When MVI Marketing first started researching consumer awareness and acceptance of lab-grown diamonds in 2004, most people in the industry thought we were crazy. Read more »
 MEMBERS OF THE BOURSE WILL DECIDE IF THE SYNTHETIC BAN IS LIFTED
Mehul N Shah, vice president of Bharat Diamond Bourse When it comes to the debate about synthetic diamonds, the Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) has one goal: to protect our 5,000 members ... Read more »
 BOTH SIDES OF THE DIAMOND DEBATE SHOULD VERIFY THEIR CLAIMS
Danielle Max, editor in chief IDEX Online A major consumer research study has been released investigating the need for third-party verification of both mined and lab-grown diamond manufacturers’ claims of positive social ... Read more »
 FIGHTING FOR THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF DIAMOND DESIRE
Alan Bronstein, president of the Natural Color Diamond Association Of all the challenges to the diamond industry over the past four decades, today we are presented with the greatest rival to threaten natural diamond desire: synthetic diamonds. Read more »
 DECONSTRUCTING THE NEXT GREAT JEWELLERY-CONSUMING GENERATION
Jonathan Kendall, president of De Beers Group Industry Services In this report I wish to reiterate how absolutely critical it is that all of us understand Gen Z and the implications that this enormous consumer group holds for our industry and individual businesses. Read more »
 THE CONSUMER CONUNDRUM: ‘SHOULD I BUY A LAB-GROWN OR NATURAL DIAMOND?’
Jimmy DeGroot, jewellery retail training specialist and speaker Jewellers need to take the lab-grown diamond market potential seriously. I’m not saying everyone must dive in with both feet selling lab-grown diamonds – and there is a great range of opinions... Read more » |