Editor’s Note
This article discusses ongoing efforts, highlighted by De Beers India, to establish a potential certification system for diamonds in collaboration with Indian government bodies.
Amit Pratihari, India Managing Director of De Beers, the world’s largest producer of natural diamonds, says work is underway in this direction in collaboration with the government. The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), which operates under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is active in this direction. It is possible that a certification system for diamonds may be established, similar to what exists for gold jewellery. Notably, the government has introduced a hallmarking system for gold jewellery.
Amit says the government has already issued some guidelines to curb fraud related to diamonds. For instance, the use of the term ‘Synthetic’ for Lab Grown Diamonds has now been made mandatory. However, fraud still occurs because sellers market them as ‘Synthetic Natural Diamond’. Nevertheless, grading of diamonds is already being done following the rules of the Federation Trade Commission (FTC).
He says that if you purchase diamonds or diamond jewellery from a reputable brand, the possibility of being cheated is minimal. But if you trust shops in local neighborhoods, you might end up buying synthetic diamonds instead of real ones.
He informed that India’s diamond market was worth $8.5 billion in 2024. It is expected to double and reach $17 billion by 2030.
Real diamonds are formed over millions of years within the Earth’s mantle. A natural diamond takes at least 90 million years and up to 3.5 billion years to form. In contrast, a lab-grown diamond is ready in 40 to 70 hours. In this way, according to market demand, a large quantity of diamonds can be produced in a laboratory in just a few days.
Looking at the retail space, De Beers is also increasing its presence. The company plans to open 100 exclusive retail outlets under its Forevermark diamond brand. The company has set a sales target of $100 million by 2030. The company has planned to open 15 new outlets this year in Mumbai and Delhi NCR. Notably, De Beers is the largest producer of natural diamonds globally with a 33% market share.