70 nationalities in only 3 streets: VRT News goes behind the scenes of Antwerp's diamond district

A new campaign from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) aims to educate consumers about the difference between natural and synthetic diamonds. The latter have become very popular in recent years and pose one of the biggest threats to the natural diamond sector.

The Antwerp diamond district consists of just three streets –the  Rijfstraat, the Hoveniersstraat and the Schupstraat – where no fewer than 1,470 companies are located, large and small, from traders to cutters and auction houses. In all more than 3,300 people work there.

70 nationalities

‘The diamond sector started with a strong Jewish input,’ says Ine Tassignon of the AWDC. ‘In the 1960s, many Indian companies came to Antwerp and today they make up the largest share of the diamond trade here. But in addition, there are more than 70 different nationalities working here. Antwerp still plays a crucial role as an international diamond trading centre.’

From diamond mine to customer: what route do diamonds take?

Rough diamonds from mines in Africa, Canada and Brazil are flown to Brussels airport. They arrive in Antwerp via secure transports.  Here they are first “boiled” or cleaned. They then go to the Bonas company, which first sorts the diamonds and divides them into saleable packages or lots. These lots are sold to the highest bidder at auctions. The rough diamonds are then sent to cutting factories, either in Antwerp itself or elsewhere in the world, e.g. to India. The cut diamonds are sold to jewellers, who use them to make jewellery.

When walking around the diamond district, the strict security measures are immediately noticeable. There are numerous cameras and the district is closed off with barriers. Police officers are visibly present. During our visit to Bonas, the largest diamond auction company in the world, nothing is left to chance. There is a metal detector and an access gate with facial recognition.

The control room is the beating heart of Bonas. Dozens of opaque jars stand on shelves, containing the most exclusive rough diamonds. They have already been sorted by size, colour and quality. Students take them to the rooms where potential customers can study and analyse the diamonds before possibly making a bid during the auction.

Charlotte (26) started as a student worker at Bonas and is now in charge of the control room. ‘I keep an eye on everything, both the customers in the rooms, via the screens, and the students walking around and bringing the diamonds to the rooms. Everything is weighed again each time something comes back, to ensure that no stones are lost or left behind in the rooms.’

In one of those rooms, Sagar Metha (37), who has Indian roots but was born and raised in Antwerp, has just inspected dozens of lots of diamonds. "Of the 100 lots we have seen, we are bidding on about 40. There are stones that are auctioned for 500,000 dollars for 20 carats (1 carat is 0.2 grams), others are worth 50,000 dollars for the same number of carats. That has to do with the colour and clarity."

Sagar Metha (pictured at the top of this article) followed his father's steps into the diamond industry. 'To be honest, it was never my intention to start working here, but it happened anyway. I studied here and, to further my training in diamonds, I went to India for two years to learn everything in a factory. One year in Mumbai and one year in Surat, and then I came back here.'

The diamond sector has long since ceased to be an exclusively male domain. We discover this at Diamcad, a diamond cutting factory that specialises in cutting large and therefore valuable diamonds. Thirty-five people work there. Camille (33) is a planner. She uses computer programmes to determine the best way to cut diamonds so that there is as little loss as possible.

Focus and perseverance

Camille, a recent biology graduate, entered the diamond industry somewhat by chance. ‘The work was almost exclusively practical. It's also out-of-the-box, completely different, and I really enjoy doing it, even after eight years. Above all, you need to have good focus and perseverance to push yourself to the limit, so that everything is perfect.’

Céline (27) is a cutter at Diamcad. ‘I was working in education, but I wanted a more creative job. Then I came across the vacancy for a cutter with no experience required. I wanted to learn a craft and I'm also someone who likes to work on my own, completely cut off from my surroundings.’

She would like to dispel a persistent cliché. ‘When I tell people what my job is, I always get asked: do you work for a Jew or an Indian? I always reply: 'I work for Belgians,’ she says.

Watch how rough diamonds are first cut with a laser