The power behind De Beers' strategic masterstroke
Friday, June 01, 2018
If you can’t beat them, join them, then crush them. From decades of fighting against synthetics, proclaiming them as the single biggest threat to natural diamonds and the industry, De Beers announced it had changed tact this week and was launching its own synthetic line of diamonds.
Typical of De Beers, the nomenclature around its synthetics is uniquely its own. Rather than “synthetics,” De Beers’ artificial diamonds are called “lab-grown”. In the same vein, De Beers’ monthly sales of diamonds are not called auctions, but “sights,” and the buyers aren’t “bidders” but “sightholders”.
The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...