News

March 05, 2010

James Picton, Peerless Diamond Analyst

James, who was in his mid-sixties, died on February 11th from cancer. To us, at Minesite, he was always accessible and immensely helpful. Des Kilalea, of Royal Bank of Canada Europe, has written an affectionate account of James at the time when he rose to be the world’s foremost diamond analyst.

 

I met James on the back of a Land Rover in a game park during an investment conference in 1983 in South Africa. I don't think he had been in South Africa all that long at that stage and was working for Frankel Pollak (the stockbroking firm which had arranged the investment conference). He was already regarded as one of the leading commentators on the diamond industry.

His prominence in South Africa among the many who covered the diamond space was long-lived and he was frequently the Top...