ALROSA currently has a small market share in the USA. It counts Signet and Tifffany's among its rough diamond clients, but now the firm is aiming at boosting its polioshed sales in what is still the biggest diamond market in the world.
In an exclusive interview with Yahoo Finance UK, Rebecca Foerster, the newly appointed head of ALROSA's US operations, said she "doesn't believe the negative headlines surrounding the US-Russia relationship will have any bearing on Alrosa's opportunities in the world's largest diamond market."
"My belief is that the two things are extremely separate. When we're talking about a diamond and the beauty of a diamond, it's not political," Foerster told Yahoo Finance UK.
"With Russia, if we talk about caviar or vodka or beautifully Russian-cut diamonds, I don't think that the political aspect inserts itself into the consumer's perception of those goods. I don't see that to be a barrier to entry at all," she said.