Diamond Shavings: Your Friday Web Roundup, Part Two

Continued from Part One …

 
- Reports from the Amsterdam President’s meeting. My report: Not a lot interesting discussed, except for the diamond futures. The World Federation of Diamond Bourses spent most of their time discussing their WFDB Mark, as well as plans to appoint a full-time managing director and beef up their staff. As for the International Diamond Manufacturing Association, I don’t know what they discussed because just about all of their meetings were closed. This is the second year in a row this has happened. I really like the IDMA people – I can’t stress that enough – but I can’t think of any other association in any other industry that continually closes its annual meetings. This industry is becoming more transparent, and IDMA shouldn’t be lagging behind. 

- Conflict diamonds coming into India?

- Science Marches On: Diamonds from peanut butter.

- What can the diamond industry do about Zimbawbe? Related thoughts here. At the Amsterdam conference, Rapaport did bring up the idea whether diamond companies should do business in Zimbabwe. I am somewhat sympathetic — given this industry’s past support of odious people like Mobuto — but there is a slippery slope here, since there are people that consider Russia, Israel and the United States human rights violators. In any case, it may all soon be moot.

- JCK talks with Alrosa and De Beers’ Stephen Lussier.

- Ironically named Antwerp Diamond Bank now, in, um, Dubai.

Have a good weekend …