World

De Beers, Tiffany & Co, Halt Alrosa Russian Diamond Imports

Published

3 years ago

April 18, 2022

De Beers, a direct competitor of the Alrosa mine in Russia, took advantage of the recent sanctions in its official website statement. “Every diamond discovered by De Beers Group comes from one of our mines in Botswana, Canada, Namibia or South Africa.” Russia is absent from the list, and the innuendo is clear.

Jewelry giant Tiffany & Co. also stated that it discontinued Russian diamond imports. Stones currently in transit as well as those already in US stores will remain outside the scope of the sanctions.

Despite all assurances of compliance with President Biden’s executive order to ban Alrosa exports to the United States, it was virtually impossible to prove the provenance of a natural gemstone.

The solution comes from Sarine Technologies. An increasing number of companies in the diamond industry are relying on the publicly traded company for proof of a gemstone’s provenance. Even when a gem crosses borders, Sarine can trace it and identify the point of origin.

The corporation deployed a global fleet of state-of-the-art 3D gemstone scanners throughout the mining and production industry that identify the inherent attributes of each jewel. From mine to jewelry store, every point in the supply-chain rescans the gemstones. When a match is made, the stone is verified.

Eastern European stones are commonly sold in India, and exchange hands before making their way to their international destinations. Blood diamonds are commonly fed into supply chains unbeknownst to purchasers.

The Verify website conducted an interview with RapNet founder, Martin Rapaport, who wrote about loopholes in the US sanctions. “The order places no restrictions on the U.S. importation of polished diamonds sourced from Russian rough diamonds but cut and polished elsewhere.”

In order to document sourcing, Sarine uses blockchain technology to create an immutable record of a gem’s initial location, its movement, and ownership. When a rough jewel is mined, it is scanned and logged into the online distributed ledger.

As the product is rescanned at each point of exchange, the software confirms a match and the data is stored in the blockchain. The customer can access an online report that certifies the provenance and journey of the jewelry.

“It’s changing the market,” says Simon Levy, a diamond sales executive in The Israel Diamond Exchange LTD. “Mined gems are meaningful and symbolic, but many of our customers over the last decade are more concerned with where our rough stones come from. Having a scientific means to verify where they originate is important to them, and to me as well.”

The biggest hurdle for the tracing concept was the ability to find distinctive, inimitable characteristics inherent in the stone. Once the technologies were able to make these distinctions, a world of possibilities was opened.

Jonathan Larson, an assistant professor of computer science in Cambridge, MA explained that “Blockchain uses distributed computing, and it’s a brilliant way to securely track and observe digital records. We began experimenting with extending the technology from digital assets to actual things.”

He continued, “We could track them, but we weren’t able to authenticate all of them—we didn’t know if they were the same object. But when there’s a distinct identifier, then you have both authentications matching as well as the history and exchange. The more granular the distinction, the higher the level of authentication.”

Once paired with distributed ledger technology, the software knows everything about the stone, including where it came from and where it ends up. The failsafe system benefits everyone involved in legitimate trade—especially retail customers.

Tiffany and other companies will be embracing high-tech solutions to ensure products are coming from vetted sources. That’s great news for everybody.

World

Meet the Team: The Experts Driving Phoenix Capital Group’s Vision

Published

4 weeks ago

September 24, 2024

Rosario Farell

A popular saying in business is that behind every successful company stands a skilled and dedicated team of professionals working every day to achieve more. That’s the case at Phoenix Capital Group Holdings, LLC, where experts drive the company’s vision to new heights.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of its exceptional team, Phoenix Capital Group consistently strives to deliver value and high-quality returns to individual landowners and investors in the oil and gas industry.

Here are a few of the experts leading the charge at Phoenix Capital Group.

Adam Ferrari, Chief Executive Officer

Adam Ferrari, the son of co-founders Daniel and Charlene Ferrari, serves as the CEO of Phoenix Capital Group. With nearly 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Adam has been instrumental in leading the company and focusing on key initiatives that drive substantial growth.

Raised in a small farm town in Illinois, Adam learned the values of hard work, grit, and determination from an early age. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in chemical engineering. Starting his career at BP in the Gulf of Mexico, Adam honed his engineering skills before moving through various leadership roles at the company and later transitioning to investment banking at Macquarie Capital.

Adam’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to found multiple oil and gas ventures throughout his career. Phoenix Capital Group is the culmination of his diverse experiences and his most significant project to date.

Adam is married to Brynn Ferrari, the CMO of Phoenix Capital Group. They have a young son and hope to expand their family in the future. Outside of work, Adam enjoys spending time with his family, exploring local cuisine with Brynn, and watching USC Trojans football.

Curtis Allen, Chief Financial Officer and Partner

Curtis Allen brings over 10 years of experience in financial services—with a strong emphasis on investment analysis—to his role as CFO and Partner at Phoenix Capital Group. A CPA, Curtis has a broad range of financial experience, from preparing private taxes to auditing billion-dollar defense contractors. He has managed investments for corporate and personal clients for over seven years and holds Series 7 and 66 licenses. He has also passed the CFA Level 1 exam.

At Phoenix Capital Group, Curtis oversees all finance and accounting functions, as well as various day-to-day operational tasks.

A family man, Curtis is married with two children. Outside of work, he enjoys outdoor activities such as playing beach volleyball with his wife and bicycling with his family.

Lindsey Wilson, Chief Operating Officer and Partner

Lindsey Wilson, COO and Partner, brings extensive practical experience to Phoenix Capital Group. She has led various diverse, multidisciplinary teams within the energy sector, and she prides herself on setting and achieving aggressive business goals while ensuring all employee needs are met.

A founding member of Phoenix Capital Group, Lindsey manages and oversees the company’s daily business operations. She works closely with all supervisors and department heads to support the day-to-day activities of all employees.

Lindsey began her career in the oil and gas industry in 2011 as a leasing agent in Fort Worth, Texas. This foundational experience served as a springboard, allowing her to transition into more advanced roles within the mineral and leasehold acquisition space.

Combining her practical oil and gas experience with skills gained in sales, marketing, and underwriting in the hospitality and banking sectors, Lindsey has successfully led Phoenix Capital Group’s multi-functional organization. She holds a BBA in Marketing from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Lindsey is married with a daughter. She enjoys spending time with her family and training for marathons.

The Entire Team at Phoenix Capital Group Contributes to Its Success

Adam, Curtis, and Lindsey have over 60 years of combined experience in the energy sector. They bring a diverse array of skills in software development, engineering, finance, and more to Phoenix Capital Group.

However, the company’s immense success would not be possible without the dedication, skills, and hard work of the entire team.

The large and diverse team at Phoenix Capital Group focuses on minerals, investments, operations, marketing, land, finance, technology, and more. Through their combined effort, they contribute to the company’s ongoing success and growth.

About Phoenix Capital Group

Founded in 2019, Phoenix Capital Group Holdings, LLC is a leading oil and gas mineral rights acquisition, investment firm, and operated working interest company dedicated to discovering untapped value on behalf of landowners across the United States. The family-owned company is a technology-led and client-centric focused organization dedicated to developing partnerships with its clients through property acquisitions and investment opportunities. With a team of experienced professionals with expertise in software development, engineering, and finance, Phoenix Capital Group boasts over 60 years of combined experience in the energy sector, focusing on capital deployment and asset management.