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
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 industry body ... Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 on the subject. Read more » |