Dealers gaining confidence as Thanksgiving kicks off holiday retail season. NRF predicts record 182M shoppers over long weekend. Polished prices stable. Inventories of rounds down. Steady trade demand for round, 1 to 3 ct., F-I, SI1-SI2 diamonds. Rapaport issues consumer alert warning that some retailers overcharging for synthetic diamonds. Indian manufacturers closed for extended Diwali break. India’s import freeze impacting rough producers, with Stornoway entering insolvency and Lucapa reviewing exploration costs at Merlin. Sarine 3Q revenue -28% to $10M, loss of $1M vs. profit of $2M in 2022. China weak amid ongoing economic slump.

To celebrate this milestone, Rapaport’s journalists sat down to discuss their most memorable episodes since the podcast launched almost six years ago.

Economic headwinds, Chinese caution and the threat of lab-grown are the trade’s current concerns. But the recurring difficulties that existed before Covid-19 have not gone away.

Manufacturers should have bought more carefully, says Mmetla Masire, managing director of Botswana’s state-owned rough trader.