De Beers opens diamond inscription facility in India
Phillippe Mellier and Mr. Stephen Lussier at the launch of Surat facility.
The facility is a US$10 million investment by De Beers and has been equipped with leading proprietary diamond technology.
Its primary purpose will be to select and inscribe Forevermark diamonds with the unique serial number that symbolises the Forevermark promise; and to deliver an accurate and reliable grading service for Forevermark diamonds. At full capacity it will be able to process US$500 million of diamonds annually.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Philippe Mellier, Chief Executive, De Beers Group said, “an important investment by De Beers in world-leading technology, which will be an important resource for the Indian diamond trade and will cement Surat’s position at the heart of our industry.”
“While the facility will initially focus on Forevermark grading, we will also look into the potential to widen the service in the future as another way of supporting the surrounding diamond community,” he added.
De Beers employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline, and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa.
