| Almost 80% of the worlds diamond production | | | | market are first classified into one of the |
| and rough supply is managed by "De Beers". | | | | 16,000 different standards of quality, based |
| This is not a single company but rather | | | | on their form, quality, colour, and size. |
| several different entities hiding behind the | | | | There are sorting houses in London, Lucerne, |
| one name. These companies are involved in | | | | Gaborone, Windhoek, and Kimberley. In the |
| every step of a diamonds life, from | | | | valuation of diamonds colour, cut, clarity, |
| extraction to polishing and on to the point | | | | and carat are the four c's used to decide |
| of sale. | | | | it's value. |
| | | | |
| All sorted and valued diamonds go to London | | | | Only about 20% of all diamonds are classified |
| to the Diamond Trading Company. They are | | | | as "gemstone quality" and used in making |
| then put into lots to be sold at a fixed | | | | jewellery, the rest are sold to industry as |
| price. You cannot make partial purchases, a | | | | "industrial diamonds" for drilling, cutting, |
| full lot must be bought. | | | | and milling purposes. Due to its extreme |
| | | | hardness, diamonds can cut through almost any |
| There are currently only 120 individuals | | | | surface and are vital to most industries. |
| accredited by the Diamond Trading Company who | | | | |
| are allowed to purchase diamonds. These | | | | They make excellent abrasives as they can |
| diamond buyers can purchase the lots at ten | | | | only be scratched by other diamonds. The |
| selling events a year, in London Lucerne and | | | | hardest diamonds in the world are from New |
| Johannesburg. The resale of the diamonds is | | | | England in Australia, and are used mainly to |
| carried out by direct buyers normally on | | | | cut other diamonds. There are other uses for |
| diamond exchanges, which are basically large | | | | diamonds, including both semi-conductors and |
| diamond markets. | | | | insulators, depending on the properties of |
| | | | the diamond. |
| All the diamonds that De Beers brings on the | | | | |