The Rapaport Diamond Podcasts — proudly sponsored by De Beers Group Ignite
De Beers Group Ignite™ proudly sponsors the Rapaport Podcasts. Listen to the episodes below.
Episode 51: GemGenève, Auctions and Fancy Shapes
The editorial team takes listeners on a wild ride through the GemGenève show, Magnificent Jewels auctions, and the fancy-shape market in Episode 51 of the Rapaport Diamond Podcast.
Find out what pleased and disappointed Editor in Chief Sonia Esther Soltani as she reflects on her trip to Switzerland to attend GemGenève and preview the Sotheby’s and Christie’s sales. Meanwhile, News Editor Joshua Freedman explains the factors that have caused an upswing in demand for fancy shapes — in his words, “Number five will blow your mind.”
Prompted by Senior Analyst Avi Krawitz, the team members also unpack the news items that have stood out in recent weeks, and reveal what they would say “I do” to this holiday season (ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous).
Listen to the podcast below:
Episode 52: Behind De Beers' Strategy
"The digital drive influencing the diamond industry is only going to intensify, stressed Neil Ventura, the company’s Executive Vice President of Strategy & Innovation, urging the trade to embrace these developments or risk being left behind.
As head of De Beers Ignite, the business unit charged with formulating the company’s strategy, Ventura outlined the company’s approach to innovation and building new ventures in Episode 52 of the Rapaport Diamond Podcast.
In a discussion with Rapaport Senior Analyst Avi Krawitz, the executive gave perspective on how some of its projects fit into the broader De Beers business model. These include GemFair, which aims to help artisanal miners bring their product to market; Lightbox, its synthetic diamond brand; and its blockchain program Tracr. Ventura also provided an update on the blockchain initiative, explaining why the company shifted from its initial plan for an industry-wide platform to a focus on the De Beers supply chain."
Listen to the podcast below:
Discussion points:
00:34 – Introduction
01:47 – Neil gives some surprising tidbits about his background.
04:00 – A bit about Ignite and its approach to building strategy at De Beers.
10:30 – Avi asks what forces are driving that innovation.
18:03 – Neil explains the impact innovation is having on the supply chain and how the industry operates.
25:04 – The two discuss the recent change in direction at Tracr.
31:44 – Neil gives context to the GemFair and Lightbox programs.
36:46 – Avi asks about the extent to which rough production is being impacted by or influencing De Beers’ strategy.
