DiamondBuzz
Diamond exports from Mumbai surge ahead of imminent us tariffs
In a striking display of urgency and strategic maneuvering, Mumbai Customs cleared $319.9 million worth of cut and polished diamonds destined for the United States in the first four days of April 2025. This marks a fivefold increase compared to the same period last year and reflects a sharp escalation in trade activity ahead of new US tariffs on Indian diamond imports.
The sudden export surge is directly linked to the 26% reciprocal tariff on Indian diamonds that came into effect on April 9, a measure announced by former US President Donald Trump. With the clock ticking down to the implementation date, Indian exporters acted swiftly to push inventory across borders and into the American market, aiming to avoid the impending duty and preserve their competitive pricing advantage.
The United States, being the world’s largest consumer of diamonds, plays a crucial role in India’s diamond trade. Nearly one-third of India’s $32 billion gem and jewellery exports are shipped to the US annually. With the imposition of this steep tariff, the traditional cost advantage that Indian diamonds have enjoyed in the US is expected to erode, potentially reshaping trade dynamics between the two nations.
However, this rapid spike in shipments has raised concerns about pressure on supply chains. Many rough diamonds currently undergoing processing are unlikely to be completed in time to meet the tariff-free deadline. As a result, the industry may face delays in deliveries and disruptions in trade flow during the transition period.
The effects are likely to be felt most acutely in Surat, India’s diamond cutting and polishing capital. The potential dip in US demand may force a recalibration of production volumes, which in turn could affect employment and operational continuity in the region. Thousands of workers employed in Surat’s diamond sector depend heavily on exports to the US for steady income and job security.
DiamondBuzz
De Beers Group Sets Out Portfolio and Organisational Actions to Support Long-Term Value Creation
Company outlines strategic cost optimisation, portfolio streamlining and operational changes to strengthen resilience while positioning for long-term growth in the natural diamond industry.
De Beers Group is advancing delivery of its business streamlining by setting out a number of planned portfolio and organisational changes to ensure an efficient cost base that strengthens resilience in the near-term while enhancing future competitiveness and retaining optionality as industry conditions improve.
Since 2024, De Beers has been streamlining its business in line with its Origins strategy to reduce costs, divest non-core assets and prioritise investment in activities that create the most value. Significant progress has been made, with more than $100 million of annual overhead costs removed from the business, the sale or closure of a number of non-core assets and significant capital and cost reconfigurations to asset expansion projects.
Simultaneously, De Beers has reinvested in natural diamond category marketing to support the industry’s efforts to grow natural diamond demand, launching new large-scale campaigns and collaborating with key stakeholders across the value chain to foster industry-wide investment. Global consumer demand for natural diamond jewellery returned to growth in 2025, while natural diamond sales increased across US independent jewellers in 2025 and into Q1 2026, led by higher value diamonds and those promoted by De Beers’ Desert Diamonds marketing campaign.
On the supply side, global rough diamond production is now decreasing, with several producers closing mines during 2026. Whilst the increasing rarity of diamonds and the emerging signs of improvement in consumer demand are likely to support longer-term value creation, rough diamond trading conditions are expected to remain challenging in the near-term due to cyclical and industry-specific factors.
Consistent with recent actions to improve business resilience, De Beers intends to pause production at the Venetia mine in South Africa for two years to reduce costs while also rephasing capital expenditure on its underground project. This will involve critical infrastructure investment to enhance the capacity and efficiency of the mine, with the intention to support future production growth as business and industry conditions improve.
De Beers is engaging with stakeholders in accordance with relevant requirements and the company’s values as it moves through this process, and will both support impacted employees and continue to invest in its community and Social and Labour Plan commitments.
This proposed action at Venetia Mine follows the decision earlier this year to pause the Tuzo Phase 3 expansion project at the Gahcho Kué Mine in Canada.
In parallel, De Beers plans to reconfigure its global operating model to refocus and prioritise resources on the core operational businesses and reduce its central corporate cost base.
Al Cook, CEO of De Beers Group, said:

“In line with our commitment to focus and streamline our business, we are making a number of changes to De Beers to ensure greater business resilience in the near-term, while supporting long-term value creation. We recognise the protracted challenging conditions as the diamond industry evolves, though we are encouraged by signs of consumer demand growth in the US and beyond, particularly in higher quality diamonds.
Global rough diamond supply is falling, bringing more support to the market. The changes we are making to our business are focused on underpinning our efficiency now and into the future, favourably positioning De Beers in its leadership role.”
De Beers Group will maintain current production levels through its other operations, and previous production guidance remains unchanged.
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