A South African column
The Diamond Edit
A column on diamonds, jewellery, and the South African trade — written from the inside, edited from the outside.
A diamond is the only purchase most South Africans will ever make for which the price has no clear public referent. The trade prefers it that way. This column is not against the trade — it is in conversation with it. I write about the dealers I'd send my own family to, the dealers I wouldn't, and the questions every buyer should ask before parting with the money.
New columns publish irregularly. The full archive is in the columns hub, and there is an RSS feed if you'd like to follow at a distance.
Recent columns
Where Johannesburg’s diamond money actually goes
A scene piece on Bedfordview — the suburb where most of South Africa’s working diamond trade actually lives, twenty kilometres east of Sandton.
The case for buying wholesale: a South African primer
Wholesale-to-public diamond buying in South Africa: how the model works, what the trade-offs are, and which dealers actually run it.
Why ideal-cut still matters when the trade has moved on
Most of the South African trade has settled for very-good cut grades. The case for paying the small premium for ideal cut anyway, in 2026.
A reader’s guide to South African diamond certificates
GIA versus EGL versus SGL versus the in-house certificate. What each one guarantees, what each one does not, and which to insist on.
What the Kimberley Process actually requires
The Kimberley Process documentation a South African dealer must produce — and what compliance does and does not guarantee a buyer.