Editor’s Note
This article highlights a significant step in ethical sourcing, as De Beers integrates its GemFair-certified artisanal diamonds into a luxury capsule collection for the first time.
The globally leading diamond company, De Beers Group, recently announced that its GemFair project, dedicated to supporting artisanal and small-scale diamond mining (ASM), has collaborated with the group’s high-end jewelry brand to launch a capsule jewelry collection. This partnership marks the first time that diamonds certified as ethically sourced through the GemFair project have been incorporated into high-end jewelry, seamlessly connecting avant-garde design with the cultural heritage of the diamond’s origin. This allows consumers to appreciate the beauty of the diamonds while also understanding the profound significance of their support for the livelihoods of mining communities.
GemFair is a diamond sourcing initiative launched by De Beers Group in 2018, aimed at supporting artisanal and small-scale diamond mining by building secure, transparent market channels and promoting responsible sourcing. The project is based on four principles: traceability, empowerment, fair value, and diversity and inclusion. Leveraging proprietary digital tools and a third-party verified assurance system, it ensures that every diamond meeting the standards can be fully traced from the mine source to the market. Simultaneously, by providing professional training, fair pricing, and regulatory guidance to miners, it tangibly improves their working conditions and living standards. As a key practical measure of De Beers Group’s “Building Forever” sustainability commitment, GemFair is dedicated to transforming the ownership of diamonds into a lasting responsibility for communities and the environment. It not only establishes a regulated channel for artisanal diamonds, which account for about 10% of global supply and involve millions of livelihoods, but also drives ecological restoration in mining areas, aids agricultural transformation, improves food security, and creates diverse livelihoods, continuously generating long-term value for mining regions.
The newly launched capsule jewelry collection transforms this sense of responsibility into wearable art. The pieces feature diamonds sourced from the GemFair project, ingeniously combining uncut, natural rough diamonds with polished, beautiful diamonds to vividly interpret the theme of “metamorphosis,” celebrating the profound connection between the brand and the diamond’s origin. Each rough diamond, shaped by the forces of nature and water, was hand-selected for its exceptional purity and brilliance; the polished diamonds were meticulously cut by artisans, creating an interesting contrast with the rough diamonds that retain their natural appearance. This not only highlights the raw beauty of the earth but also echoes the dialogue between nature and human craftsmanship. GemFair has now become a certified supplier for De Beers’ brand jewelry series, signifying that GemFair diamonds have reached the stringent standards of high-end jewelry in terms of quality and responsible sourcing, taking a crucial step in connecting ethical diamonds, their discoverers, and the ultimate wearers.
— Sandrine Conseiller, Chief Executive Officer, De Beers Brands
— Steve Allan, Head of GemFair
Currently, the GemFair project has established partnerships with over 500 mining sites globally, involving approximately 7,000 miners and indirectly impacting a wider community. Since its inception, GemFair has sourced over 20,000 diamonds from participating miners and conducted more than 5,700 compliance visits to mining sites.
De Beers Group, established in 1888, is the world’s leading diamond company with unparalleled expertise in diamond exploration, mining, marketing, and retail. De Beers Group and its partners employ over 20,000 people across the diamond supply chain, and in terms of production value and its mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia, and South Africa, De Beers Group is the world’s largest diamond producer. Innovation is at the core of De Beers Group’s strategy, driving the development of its brand portfolio, including De Beers London and Forevermark, as well as its pioneering solutions such as the diamond sourcing and traceability programs GemFair and Tracr™. Through the De Beers Institute of Diamonds, the Group provides education and laboratory services, and via the De Beers Group Ignite team, it offers a range of diamond sorting, detection, and classification technology systems, delivering superior services and advanced technology to the diamond industry. De Beers Group is committed to its “Building Forever” promise, a comprehensive framework of goals guiding us towards a future that is fairer, safer, cleaner, and healthier, that promotes community prosperity, and where the natural environment is protected. De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group.
