What the diamond industry should learn from the master toymaker, why thinking like a fish might help our business, and why recent arrogance should inspire us all to do some soul-searching.

More than 50 years have passed since the Lego brick was first introduced into the child’s playroom. The world has...

Mr. Ephraim Zion, Founder of Dehres Limited, honors us with his opinions on the most pressing issues facing our industry today.

1. What is the best business advice you received when you were starting out?

My father was not a business man but he was a very wise man. He told me three things which remai...

In the early 1970's, psychologist and Stanford University professor Walter Mischel led a series of studies on delayed gratification. His major work, The Marshmallow Experiment, took place at a nursery school, using children age four to six as subjects. Each child in turn was left alone in a room with...

This email (detailed below) arrived in my inbox via a mailing list for sightholders and others closely associated with the diamond industry:

A call for strike maybe?!

As the writer preferred to stay anonymous, we can only assume that he or she is either a provocateur trying to make a scene or a despe...

A recent discussion with Thomas Biesheuvel of Bloomberg Business brought up the economic question of wars and catastrophes stimulating economy. Will the recent major bankruptcy boost us?

If only the strongest survive, that’s a good thing for the future of our industry... isn't it?

The dinosaurs were...

Mr. Sanjay Shah, Owner and Director of Gold Star Ltd Diamond Pvt in Mumbai, India, honors us with his opinions on the most pressing issues facing our industry today.

1. What would you do professionally, if you weren’t working in diamonds?

I toyed with the idea of technology research and development -...

When Transparency is Blinding – Reducing Information

"The sun is the best disinfectant," wrote Louis Brandeis, who later became a United States Supreme Court judge. By saying that, he outlined the principle of transparency in public systems as a remedy for corruption.

But the sun can also cause burn...

When synthetic diamonds are debated among diamontaires it brings up flames of anger and frustration and almost always conjures up the parallel associative - pearls. Of course, I’m referring to the terrible, decades-long tragedy caused by cultured pearls to the price of natural pearls.

But let’s cease...

Did you know that more than half of rough sales are conducted on the phone?

Fear of speaking to groups and strangers – even one on one, even on the phone (cold calling) tops the list of human fears.

“According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death.

Death i...

Dear Mr. Mellier,

There is no doubt that De Beers made a superb choice in selecting you as their leader. In 2013 alone, De Beers’ underlying operating profit jumped from $474 million (2012) to $1.003 billion. That is a magnificent accomplishment.

Under your leadership, De Beers has developed a sophi...