Diamond prices worldwide have been experiencing a decline in demand even before the COVID-19 pandemic halted weddings celebrations globally. Anglo American’s De Beers unit has seen a plunge in earning due to the global economic weakness.
As South African diamond companies lose out on international sales. they’ve begun focusing on customers closer to home. Many smaller jewellers and jewel producers have experienced an upsurge in sales. According to Reuters, lockdown has helped South African cutting and polishing firm Nungu Diamonds grow sales by 60% since March.
The Company’s founder Kealeboga Pule said that they have had customers opt for online consultations and many lined up to excitedly collect their purchases when their stores reopened in June. In fact, June was their best-performing month of the year, with many sales including engagement and wedding rings being made. The team has even expanded to include an in-house jewellery designer.
While jewellery prices have remained steady, the demand on uncut and unpolished rough stones from mines has decreased and thus profit margins have lowered.
This has led to South African company Thoko’s Diamonds pivoting from their main business of selling rough, polished stones to focusing on jewellery. Within the last year, their typical sales of 500 carats fell to less than 20 carats, and profits decreased by 65%.
Being a luxury commodity, diamonds will continue to lose demand as the effects of the pandemic worsens the economic status of citizens across the world.
Feature image: Unsplash
The massive explosion that recently shattered the streets of Beirut, Lebanon, caught many off-guard. People were simply going about their days as the shockwave swept through the city.…
If you and your partner are avid campers, you might want your big day to reflect your adventurous spirits. With summer drawing near, it’s the perfect time to have an outdoor wedding.
Celebrating your love for each other with your friends and family out in nature, doing what you love. What more could you want?
You are also likely to save some money as your down-to-earth decor, food and attire will be more budget-friendly. Here are some tips to help you plan.
Firstly, you’ll need to keep some practical things in mind:
– If your wedding is in a forest, mountain or bushveld location, the terrain might be uneven and high heels are not ideal.
– There will probably be bugs and mosquitoes!
– Only make fires where it is legal and safe to do so.
– Check the weather for wind and rain.
– If it is a remote location, clear directions will need to be given to guests and vendors.
– If you expect guests to hike anywhere at all, make sure everyone is fit and healthy enough to do so. Also, make sure everyone is told this information explicitly and are comfortable with it.
How to set up the perfect camping style wedding:
– Attire
You can decide how formal or informal you want the wedding to be. It is likely to be slightly more informal, as camping is usually a low-key activity. Dress comfortably, but don’t skimp! A boho style works well. You can still wear that magical dress – it’s your day after all. Inform your guests that ‘smart casual’ is accepted.
– Food
Camp food time! Think slow roasts, pies or even something as simple as hot dogs or burgers. This is not a 5-star buffet. Don’t forget to roast marshmallows! Everything should be quick and easy, but flavourful and simply delicious. Speak to your caterer about what’s feasible for your location, and try stick with food that can be prepped off-site beforehand.
– Drinks
During summer, think cold and refreshing soft drinks and beers. Get creative with the drinks station to keep with the theme, such as a rowboat or hammock. You can also use picnic baskets to hold drinks or hand out coffee flasks or travel mugs for guests to drink from.
– Decor
This is where rough meets chic. You can have all the adventure, plus all the beauty! Let nature be your backdrop, and keep extras minimal. Decorate tables with wooden items and use theme-inspired pieces like lanterns, flashlights and boots for a cute feel. Stick with greens, browns and other neutral colours to blend with the environment.
Images: Pinterest
Featured image: Unsplash
A story filled with plot twists, self-discovery, and new beginnings, Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli’s love story is one that is almost too magical to be real. Yet…
While planning your wedding decor, you can take inspiration from almost anything. But with spring coming up, why not keep with the times and incorporate some season-inspired decorations into your special day?
Spring is the perfect season to get inspiration for a wedding celebration. With the blossoming of flowers, and animals coming out of hibernation, it is symbolic of new beginnings, beauty, and rejuvenation.
Flowers, sunlight, bright colours and much more can be incorporated into your special day, by looking to spring for some inspiration. If you’re planning a spring wedding, here are some decor ideas:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwyBGX3Heuh/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_5QSkUFw2W/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9LtjkMFQKM/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B43DPY7BcOC/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTOFIuGjguo/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7-7TmrHRvM/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBICRNDkOB/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9VqJc9JCij/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDff2DhprQW/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B97puP7p8Fe/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7oRKXEgvyB/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4YbRNED5Jk/
Image: Instagram/ Wewordy
Mexican weddings today are a fantastic mix of modernity and age-old cultural practices. Their weddings are treated as family events (and reunions) and are larger than life! “Mexican…
Actors Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are owning up to their past mistakes. In an interview, Reynolds apologised on behalf of the couple for hosting their 2012 wedding at Boone Hall, a former plantation in South Carolina.
Speaking to Fast Company, Reynolds said the decision is “something we’ll always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for.
“It’s impossible to reconcile. What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy. Years ago we got married again at home—but shame works in weird ways. A giant f*cking mistake like that can either cause you to shut down or it can reframe things and move you into action. It doesn’t mean you won’t fuck up again. But repatterning and challenging lifelong social conditioning is a job that doesn’t end.”
Original coverage of their wedding glazed over the venue, but the controversy began in 2018 when Reynolds tweeted out his support of the Black Panther film, which had a majority black cast. Many accused Reynolds of being hypocritical for supporting black people in public but marrying at a venue that has such racist connotations.
This is the first time the pair have directly spoke about the controversy. Earlier in 2020 at the start of the protests that began after the death of George Floyd, they posted on Instagram “We’re ashamed that in the past we’ve allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is. We want to educate ourselves about other people’s experiences and talk to our kids about everything, all of it … especially our own complicity.”
They also announced they had donated $200 000 to the NAACP legal defense fund.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA3523apMYB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The wedding industry has also since acknowledged the dark history of American plantations. In December 2019, Pinterest, The Knot Worldwide, Brides and Zola announced that they would be making changes to their platform that would restrict all references to plantations, as well as any language attempting to romanticise these locations as wedding venues.
This move is in response to a campaign led by racial justice organisation, Color of Change, who argued that the wedding industry was glamourising and capatalising sites of human rights atrocities.
Many plantations in America thrived off slave labour and became places of human rights abuse for the people forced into these demeaning positions. As such, they’ve become painful reminders of a dark and sordid history for many African Americans who descended from such slaves.
Feature image: Instagram / Ryan Reynolds