Key Takeaways:
• Macroeconomic pressures and government debt financing could dramatically drive up gold prices.
• Falling lab-grown diamond costs combined with rising gold prices have shifted jewelry value primarily to the gold content itself.
• Retailer risk-aversion and reliance on special orders could lead to critical supply shortages in core lab-grown diamond items during peak Q4 demand.
It all started in 2001, when SA Gems invited me to visit South Africa as a guest of De Beers. Back then, groups of jewelers converged in Johannesburg to visit Festdiam Cutters in the Jewel City precinct. Our tour guide, Toby, the former site manager for Festdiam, traveled with our group to Kimberley, South Africa, to visit Harry Oppenheimer House. Toby was very informative and open about the process, showing us where the rough production is cleaned, sorted and graded before it goes to London for the sight.
After a short ride to the Big Hole, we toured the old mining town and visited the Bulfontein and Du Doitspan mines. They took us underground to the miners at a depth of about 5,000 ft. We got up close and personal for pictures, from the conveyor belt that took the Kimberlite to the top all the way down to the ore crushers. Throughout it all, the vibrations of the underground blasting and the low murmur of the rock face felt completely unreal.
Back at the surface, we saw how the Kimberlite was turned into a slurry, put over the grease belt, and how the diamond crystals were blasted with air to move them off the belt. De Beers designed all the equipment, from HOH to the grease belt. After the tours, we had lunch at the famed Kimberley Club, bringing our first experience in Kimberley full circle.
What began as an industry tour quickly evolved into a lifelong calling. Over the past twenty-five years, my wife and I have traveled to South Africa thirty-six times, including our next trip in October 2026. We return to South Africa because of the people who work in the mining communities and rural communities near Kruger National Park.
Through my years of collaboration with Africa Foundation and the Hoedspruit Rotary Club, we have worked to give back to these communities. Our efforts have focused on building crèches for young learners and providing proper toilets, water systems, kitchens and schoolrooms, along with shade areas, fencing and secure playgrounds. Water, sanitation and education are the foundation for healthy children, and the difference we have been able to make has been life-changing.
The true reward of this journey lies in the deep personal connections and simple moments of joy. I still remember my very first trip, when I gave away a pair of my daughter’s light-up tennis shoes at a local crèche. All the kids stared at the lucky girl who received them, and she started to cry. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that the kids were being mean. I told her that they were just jealous of her new shoes because they had lights in them. She hadn’t realized they were lighting up; once she saw the lights, she smiled so big it lit up the entire school.
In 2012, I brought my whole family. We visited more schools and handed out soccer balls. The soccer balls were a big hit; before our arrival, the children had only one ball that looked like it was a hundred years old. The kids couldn’t get them fast enough. Unlike in the States, people in these communities don’t ask for much. They are eternally grateful for what we give them and seldom ask for more. To this day, that trip made such an impact that my daughter wants to go back to South Africa.
This work isn’t separate from our retail jewelry business; it is deeply woven into it. In our store, we have been featured in many newspaper articles, which has allowed us to promote our trips every year and fundraise directly for the current year’s community project. Customers ask us all the time when our next trip is or when we will be back.
I believe that giving back and understanding where our products come from is an important story to tell, especially as the De Beers name has declined with modern buyers. With this top of mind, sharing our sourcing journey and our efforts to support the mining communities has resonated deeply with our clientele. As a result, our natural diamond business continues to grow, even with lab-grown alternatives on the market. Our store’s credibility is backed by our professional affiliations with Rotary International, the Natural Diamond Council, the American Gem Society, IJO, and RJO.
There is an old saying that you may leave Africa, but Africa will never leave you. This saying is so true that it has been taking us back year after year. To this day, my daughter wants to go back. We have had so many customers go to South Africa over the years, and they come back wanting to return. This October will bring the handover of another crèche and the planning for what is next. Giving back to the places that give so much to our industry is a no-brainer.
So, you are asking what it has to do with the business at the store? We have been featured in many newspaper articles. When people read the newspapers, we promote the trips every year and fundraise for the current year’s project. People ask all the time when our next trip is or when we will be back. I believe giving back and understanding where our products come from is an important story to tell, as the De Beers name has declined with modern buyers. With this top of mind, our Natural Diamond business continues to grow even with Lab Grown on the market. We are also members of Rotary International, the Natural Diamond Council, the American Gem Society, IJO, and RJO.
Ultimately, giving back to the places that give so much to our industry is a no-brainer. The personal rewards are immense, but it is all about the people. The difference we have been able to make has been transformative, not just for the children in South Africa, but for my own family and our business.
There is an old saying that you may leave Africa, but Africa will never leave you. This saying has proven incredibly true for us, taking us back year after year. We have also had many customers travel to South Africa over the years, and they, too, come back wanting to return. This coming October 2026 will bring the handover of another crèche and the planning for what is next on our journey of dedication.
