At a De Beers board meeting in Luxembourg on July 19, Philippe Mellier was appointed CEO of the De Beers Group.

FORBES: De Beers Diamond Sales Up 33%

The synthetic diamonds division of the De Beers Group has established a venture group capital fund and opened an office in Santa Clara, Calif.

FORBES: De Beers Opens Venture Capital Shop in Silicon Valley

The De Beers Group has been very busy lately.

FORBES: De Beers Seeks A Return to the U.S., Moves Diamond Operations To Botswana

The yellow-brown diamond in a fire rose cushion cut was purchased from De Beers by a group led by Henry Ho of Thailand and given to Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in honor of his 50th coronation anniversary.

FORBES: The World's Largest Diamond And Other Record-Breaking Jewelry Moments

De Beers Group reports that high prices and strong demand in India, China, the Middle East and, surprisingly, the U.S. has resulted in a record for rough diamond sales.

FORBES: De Beers Diamond Sales Up 33%