Botswana
Botswana throws the diamond industry a lifeline
In 1947 a young copywriter by the name of Frances Gerety coined the tagline “A Diamond is Forever”, and De Beers created what today we call the ‘Diamond Dream’. Today Botswana is a big part of that dream.
Nelson Mandela worried about natural diamonds, Leonardo di Caprio defended them, makers of lab-grown stones demonise them
Nelson Mandela was sufficiently worried that the 2007 film ‘Blood Diamond’ would have a negative impact on those African economies which were reliant on diamond sales, that he reached out to Warner Brothers before its release.
Botswana’s 2,492-carat diamond discovery is golden opportunity to replicate legendary Jonker diamond's global legacy
So when Lucara Diamonds announced the recovery of a 2,492-carat diamond, what a fantastic opportunity for Botswana to go to the major diamond consuming markets and showcase exactly what Botswana and diamonds are really about.
Kamikaze marketing: how the natural diamond industry could have reacted to the lab-grown threat
Years ago I noticed a plaque hanging on the wall in a private equity group in Mayfair that read: “The Roman Empire wasn’t built by holding committee meetings; it was built by annihilating the opposition”. The same applies to lab grown diamonds.
Have lab-grown diamonds changed the diamond industry forever?
Kodak never saw it coming either. Since early 2022, the price of polished natural diamonds has fallen by approximately 40% and the industry is being buffeted by negative economic headwinds. "Fake" diamonds are cheaper than "real" ones.