Sourcing

De Beers to List Single Country of Origin for Some of Its Diamonds

SourcingOct 21, 2024

De Beers to List Single Country of Origin for Some of Its Diamonds

It will start with rough diamonds that are larger than 1.25 carats and later expand to rough diamonds that are above 1 carat.

Stock image of rough diamonds
An assortment of rough diamonds mined by De Beers Group. The company announced that it will now list the country of origin for each rough diamond it mines that weighs above 1.25 carats. In 2025, the change will expand to include diamonds that weigh more than 1 carat.
Paris—De Beers Group announced Monday that it will now provide single country of origin information for its diamonds as they are uploaded to the Tracr platform. 

The company said the change initially will apply to De Beers-sourced rough diamonds above 1.25 carats that are newly registered to its diamond traceability platform.

Beginning in 2025, it will expand to include rough diamonds above 1 carat in size, equivalent to half-carat or larger polished diamonds and thereby in line with current diamond import requirements for G7 countries. 

The announcement marks a major shift for the diamond miner and marketer, which never has gotten this granular with any segment of its production because of the way it sorts goods. 

De Beers aggregates its diamonds, meaning it groups goods together based on quality, not the location where they were mined. 

So previously, when De Beers-sourced diamonds were uploaded to Tracr, they were listed as “DTC.” 

The “DTC” designation signaled the diamonds originated in one of the four countries where De Beers mines diamonds: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, or Canada. 

 Related stories will be right here … 

“For the first time in history, we have the technology to provide our customers with the provenance of their diamonds at scale,” De Beers CEO Al Cook said.

“We know that our clients care deeply about sustainability and want to understand the good their diamonds have done. Our ambition is to offer them the story of every De Beers-sourced diamond, tracing its journey and positive impact from its origin to its crafting.”

The company said the introduction of new proprietary scanning technology in diamond-producing countries, along with AI-powered advanced algorithmic matching, have allowed it to “digitally disaggregate” its diamonds and confirm their specific country of origin.

De Beers made the announcement at “Spotlight on Diamonds,” an event held in Paris and attended by leading luxury jewelry brands. 

At the event, the company provided an update on “Origins,” the strategy it announced in Las Vegas earlier this year to cut costs, streamline its business, and boost demand for natural diamonds as parent company Anglo American looks to divest or demerge the De Beers business. 

In addition to the “Origins” update, De Beers provided insights into its broader sustainability progress under “Building Forever,” the set of goals it hopes to achieve by 2030 that are built around environmental protection, equal opportunity, partnering for thriving communities, and leading ethical practices across the jewelry industry.  

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