Diamond Trading Company sales take place in London and South Africa, through wholly owned De Beers operations, and in Namibia and Botswana through 50:50 joint venture operations with the governments of those countries.
The Diamond Trading Company sells its rough diamonds from DTC offices at sales weeks known as ‘Sights’. Ten Sights are held each year.
At a Sight, Sightholders, or clients, come to the DTC office to view the rough diamonds they have been offered, with a view to purchasing them.
As demand for rough diamonds outstrips supply, the DTC uses an objective set of criteria to judge which businesses it will supply, known as Supplier of Choice.
This selection process is designed to ensure that the companies the DTC sells to are the best businesses for the categories of diamonds they are applying to buy.
The DTC has recently published the list of Sightholders that have been awarded supply until March 2011.
The majority of the diamonds sold at the Sights in London are purchased by the DTC’s international Sightholders, who distribute, cut and polish the diamonds they buy in any location of their choice.
Helping enable diamond producing countries benefit from elements of the diamond value chain outside of mining represents an important part of the DTC’s activity, and is often referred to as 'beneficiation'.