DiamondBuzz
First Sale Of Traceable Congolese Artisanal Diamonds Exceeds Market Expectations: AWDC
OrigemA Initiative Delivers Above-Market Returns, With Proceeds Set To Support Community Development and Artisanal Mining Livelihoods In The DRC.
The first international sale of fully traceable artisanal diamonds from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has delivered prices slightly above market estimates, according to a statement from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC).
The 103.77-carat parcel, sold through a tender at Antwerp-based Bonas-Couzyn under the Belgian-Congolese OrigemA project, achieved an average price of US$65.5 per carat. Proceeds from the sale will go entirely to the COMIDIANZ cooperative, which mined the diamonds, and will be reinvested in the local community of more than 20,000 people.
OrigemA, an initiative of the AWDC, gives artisanal mining cooperatives in the DRC direct access to international markets, helping them secure competitive prices and reducing reliance on a limited number of local buyers.
Karen Rentmeesters, CEO of AWDC said :

“The prices achieved in this sale once again confirm Antwerp’s unique position as a global trading hub for rough diamonds. The presence of a large pool of international buyers creates maximum competition, resulting in the best possible market price for the goods.”
Rentmeesters said the results highlighted the benefits of providing artisanal producers with direct market access. “These results demonstrate that direct access to the international market can make a meaningful difference for artisanal producers. We hope this success will accelerate the further rollout of the OrigemA project, so that diamonds from other participating cooperatives can also be brought to market via Antwerp in the near future.”
The sale results were announced in the presence of Sylvain Mwepu Kidenga, representing the Congolese Centre d’Expertise d’Evaluation et de Certification (CEEC). Funds generated from the sale will support the development of the mine and finance projects related to agriculture, healthcare and education in the region.
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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