【Antwerp, Bel】Antwerp World Diamond Centre: European Cut Diamonds Escape US Import Tariffs

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Editor’s Note

This article highlights a significant trade development for the Antwerp diamond industry, which has secured a zero percent import tariff for natural cut diamonds into the U.S. under a new EU-U.S. agreement.

Part of a Broader US Decree

The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), the umbrella organization of the Antwerp diamond sector, has secured a zero percent import tariff for natural cut diamonds under the new trade agreement between the European Commission and the United States. The AWDC announced this breakthrough in a press release on Wednesday, attributing it to “intensive negotiations.”

“Concretely, this means that, for example, diamonds of European origin that were cut in Antwerp will likely not be subject to the standard tariff rate of 15%, but will be able to pass at a zero rate,” explained the AWDC. “This is a huge boost for the Antwerp diamond sector in general and will give a lift to the Antwerp cutting industry.”

The exemption is part of a US decree that takes effect retroactively from September 1st, granting tariff exemptions to trading partners that conclude agreements on industrial exports such as nickel, gold, other metals, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.

The centre added that the decision will also have global implications, as it gives other major diamond-cutting countries the opportunity to secure favorable tariffs.

Significance of the US Market
“With an annual total export volume of $2.1 billion from Antwerp to the US market, the USA is a very important trading partner for Antwerp,” stated the AWDC.
“The AWDC has engaged intensively with this topic because it is incredibly important and benefits our competitiveness as a trading and cutting centre,” said Karen Rentmeesters, CEO of the AWDC.

Rentmeesters also praised the role of all partners in the diamond sector, as well as the Belgian government and the European Commission.

“They were able to make clear that a 15% import tariff would in no way benefit the US jewelry market, but would primarily harm consumers. After all, there are no diamond mines and hardly any diamond cutting facilities in the United States, so there is no industry to protect.”
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⏰ Published on: October 02, 2025