DTC Sights for Rough Producers
May 10, 07 by Chaim Even-ZoharDTC Sight-application policies are becoming increasingly bewildering. At the last Sight, clients were given consultation document suggesting that applicants with a material interest in a diamond-mining business will now also be allowed to apply for a DTC Sight. Not only is this announcement odd, so is its timing; it came well... Read More...
The End of 350 Years of London’s Distribution Hegemony
May 03, 07 by Chaim Even-ZoharIn the history of any industry, there are those rare defining moments, - events so significant that one can only fully comprehend their importance many years after they occur. One rarely gets a sense of being part of history in the making. We have written... Read More...
Tomorrow’s “Dirty Diamonds”
April 26, 07 by Chaim Even-ZoharThis is a totally useless article. I suggest stop reading right now and come back to this column next week. Have a nice weekend. If you are still with me, this article deals with the question whether it is possible that a diamond polishing plant operated by the Hezbollah in southern Lebanon... Read More...
De Beers Plans Massive Restructuring of Diamdel
April 19, 07 by Chaim Even-ZoharIt was inevitable – and the writing had been on the wall for some time. De Beers will be restructuring almost all of its Diamdel offices: Israel, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Though market rumor talks about “closing Diamdel”, this is definitely not the case. Read More...
Apollo – the World’s Only Everlasting Diamond Mine
April 12, 07 by Chaim Even-ZoharWhile most diamond merchants are wondering why we don’t see the long-awaited avalanche of Apollo synthetic (cultured) gem quality rough or polished on the market, the scientists and the marketing people at the company’s Boston-area headquarters couldn’t be more elated about their progress. They are... Read More...
Prediction: DTC to send formal Sightholder Termination Notices to All 93 Clients
April 05, 07 by Chaim Even-ZoharWaiting for my train to Tel Aviv – and the train was late – I started to philosophize about timetables. The most confusing timetable at the moment is not the one for my train, but rather the one involving... Read More...
Taking Stock in Antwerp
March 29, 07 by Chaim Even-ZoharThis week, I overheard a heated discussion amongst a few Antwerp diamantaires about the revaluation of inventories that took place in December last year. The question that was raised was, “Did we make a monumental blunder, or not?” By itself, that is a very intriguing question. There were various reactions: “If I am not going to stay in Antwerp and instead move in... Read More...
Botswana Must Act Now to Ensure Beneficiation Integrity and Future
March 22, 07 by Chaim Even-ZoharThe Botswana government has skillfully negotiated a “new order” in the diamond industry. It hopes to secure benefits from its newly defined role – but, and this has never been stressed publicly, it has also assumed distinct obligations. The first commitment, of course, is to itself and the people of Botswana. Read More...
No Bonnie and Clyde
March 15, 07 by Chaim Even-ZoharWith all due respect to my friends at ABN AMRO in Antwerp, I couldn’t give a hoot about $28 million worth of stolen rough, cut, and polished diamonds. What really is infuriating is that a steady client, one who frequented the bank during the last year almost on a daily basis (and often twice a day), was able to get away with using a false identity – he was simply an imposter. That is something that should worry each and every one of us... Read More...
The Elphick Factor
March 08, 07 by Chaim Even-ZoharPurchase a small producing diamond mine for $130 million in Lesotho, buy a few more non-producing concessions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, raise $200 million privately on the London market, and then, if your name happens to be Clifford Elphick, you go and list on the London Stock Exchange at a corporate value of well over $1.09 billion. All of this happened within the span of roughly half a year. Read More...
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