In Memoriam

‘Commiseration’ is what someone offered me at the news that the Oppenheimers were leaving De Beers.

The idea that I might miss such an easy target to have the odd pop shot at when bored had not been my first reaction, and I pointed out that I enjoyed reading obituaries and looked forward to writing this one.

Also, I must say I can hardly feel sorry for someone who has managed to sell their stake in a company for $5.1 billion in cash, and it actually makes me wonder who felt under more pressure.

De Beers was, I recall, valued at $19 billion when it was privatised in 2001, so

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Clarity of Diamonds Explained

The clarity of a diamond is evaluated based on whether certain characteristics within and on the diamond are present and identifiable. At times, flaws in clarity are a result of the extreme duress that diamonds go through during the cutting process. However, most characteristics of clarity are intrinsic qualities of the rough diamond and have been around since the birthing stages of the diamond's underground creation.

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