Can Botswana Change the Diamond Story? Ada Thela’s Diamond Mission | Pearls of Wisdom

#podcast #diamond #botswana ‪@southernjewelrynews2564‬ Ada Thela, CEO of Zoe Diamonds in Botswana, joins the Pearls of Wisdom Jewelry Podcast for an inspiring conversation about diamonds, entrepreneurship, provenance, and the future of Botswana’s natural diamond industry. Ada’s journey began after university when she discovered the Okavango Diamond Company Youth Entrepreneurship Program, a seven-month program that introduced her to the entire diamond value chain, from mining to jewelry retail. After completing the program and an apprenticeship with WDM Botswana, she spent years learning the diamond cutting and polishing trade before launching Zoe Diamonds in April 2023. Since then, Ada has faced the realities of building a young diamond manufacturing business, including volatile rough diamond prices and changing market conditions. Zoe Diamonds grew from two diamond polishers to nine at its peak and continues working to create jobs while expanding its customer base and international reach. One of its early U.S. clients was J.R. Dunn, helping open opportunities for additional international relationships. Ada also discusses the importance of diamond provenance and traceability, explaining how technology can document a diamond’s journey from mine to polish and ultimately to the jeweler. For U.S. jewelry retailers, this creates an opportunity to tell customers a deeper story about where their natural diamonds came from and the people behind them. The conversation goes beyond diamonds to explore job creation, skills development, responsible luxury, women in business, and Botswana’s goal of capturing more value within its own diamond industry. Ada shares her vision for growing Zoe Diamonds from an SME into a larger corporation while creating dignified opportunities for her team. Discover Ada Thela’s remarkable journey and learn why the story behind a diamond can be just as valuable as the stone itself. Tune in, get inspired, and discover the future of Botswana’s diamonds with Zoe Diamonds! Brought to you by: Southern Jewelry News: https://southernjewelrynews.com/ Jewelry Store Marketers: https://jewelrystoremarketers.com/ Learn more about the Pearls of Wisdom Jewelry Podcast https://southernjewelrynews.com/podcast Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform: • Apple Podcast = https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my.-.. • Amazon Music/Audible = https://www.audible.com/pd/Pearls-of.-.. • iHeartRadio = https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-pe... • Spotify = https://open.spotify.com/show/6IU1OHw... • Google Podcast = https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...