(IDEX Online) - The diamond pipeline has reverted, for the first time in almost a century, to one that is truly driven by demand, say industry experts Pranay Narvekar and Chaim Even-Zohar.
Rough suppliers no longer set the price and this is a welcome development, they say in The 2019 Pipeline - Prelude to the Storm[1], an authoritative analysis of the state of the industry, available online from this week.
"A gradual pipeline restructuring process finally matured into an inevitable and, in fact, a most desirable conclusion for the midstream sector," they write. "The diamond industry will become structurally not only more competitive, but also much healthier.
"After a disastrous 2020 we face an uncertain future. But we should still be thankful for 2019. It was a tough, there's no question about that.
"However, it left us in a stronger position to face what's coming... as we become a truly market-driven industry."