From Earth to Heirloom

Every diamond goes through an incredible journey.

Billions of years ago, deep within the earth’s mantle and under extreme conditions, carbon atoms crystalised.

Through spectacular volcanic eruptions, nature then delivered these treasures to the earth’s surface. Now, we go to the ends of the world to find them and reveal their breathtaking beauty.

On its path to becoming an exquisite piece of jewellery, each diamond touches hundreds of expert hands. Each stage in the journey is vital in shaping the final piece. The diamond can then finally be worn, and often becomes a family heirloom, handed down through generations.

We travel to some of the most remote and inaccessible places on the planet in the search for diamonds.

From the deserts of southern Africa to the frozen tundras of the Arctic, our exploration teams painstakingly search for these miracles of the earth, which requires considerable time, expertise and pioneering technology.

Diamond Prospecting in Our DNA

The prospectors of old had no qualifications, no special scientific equipment. Instead, their greatest tool was an eye for diamonds.

Today, things are a little different. Our explorers hold degrees in geology, physics, geophysics, engineering, chemistry and biochemistry. They use the latest technology, tools and analytics, and are supported by the most advanced laboratories. But one thing has stayed the same – they still need that eye for diamonds.

Looking for Clues

Diamond prospecting can take decades. No clue is too small, and the key to the next big discovery can come from the simplest of places – like soil brought to the surface by burrowing animals and insects, such as termites.

When we find clues that could lead to diamonds, we take samples of the earth’s minerals and analyse them in our laboratories. If we’re lucky, the results could bring us closer to some of the world’s greatest treasures.

We recover these treasures of nature in four countries: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Canada.

The majority of our diamonds are recovered through open pit operations; however, as diamond supplies start to dwindle and become more difficult to uncover, we are increasingly developing technologies to enable safe underground operations.

In Namibia we also recover diamonds which have been washed along riverbeds (alluvial mining) and use specialised ships to search the seabed off the coast, where the rivers join the ocean (near-shore recovery).

Every diamond is unique. So, we sort each by hand into categories according to its size, model, clarity and colour.  Given there are more than 10,000 different diamond categories, this requires a true expert’s eye and a delicate touch.

Diamond Sorting: Using skill, science and expertise to value our diamonds  
Every diamond is unique. Around the world, our sorting experts organise and value each rough diamond we recover based on its size, shape, and the 4Cs – cut, colour, clarity, and carat size. 

A Unique Skill 
The diamond sorting process is a science and an art. With more than 10,000 different categories of diamonds, it takes a trained eye and years of experience, supported by the latest diamond sorting technology, to determine each rough diamond’s value. 

Sorting in Action 
At our diamond sorting facility in Botswana – the largest and most advanced in the world – expert sorters examine selections of diamonds straight from the mine. Increasingly, highly skilled sorters in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa are handling their own country’s precious resource. 

Making the Cut 
The shape of a rough diamond will often determine the final shape and size of the polished jewel. That’s why we take special care to make sure we properly sort every one of our rough diamonds. Once the diamond sorting process is completed, our rough diamonds are examined by clients who use them to create beautiful jewellery. 

Rough Diamond Sales 
We sell our rough diamonds through our Global Sightholder Sales and Auctions, to be cut and polished by our Sightholders and Accredited Buyers, who must complete numerous ongoing checks through our Best Practice Principles Assurance Programme to ensure they live up to our strict ethical standards. 

Sights and Auctions  
At Sights, we sell our rough diamonds to two types of industry clients: Sightholders and Accredited Buyers. 
Sightholders have a contract covering the sale of diamonds over an agreed period, while Accredited Buyers have a more ad-hoc arrangement.  

In 2008, we broke with tradition to hold the diamond industry’s first online international auction sale – and today, we’re still the world leaders in online diamond auctions.

Once it arrives at the cutting and polishing facilities of one of our Sightholders or Accredited Buyers, each rough diamond is analysed to understand how it can be shaped to maximise its beauty.

Using cutting edge technology, intricate skill and years of training and practice, each diamond is cut, before being polished to reveal its most beautiful potential and full beauty.

With up to 58 different facets on a brilliant cut diamond, this process takes place over a number of weeks under the hands of the world’s greatest experts.

Polished Diamond Grading

Many diamonds undergo a final assessment, whereby specialists review each in microscopic detail, grading them according to the 4Cs of Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat weight.

If the diamond is graded by the De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds, we use cutting-edge technology to also confirm that every diamond is natural.

Once this is completed, the Institute of Diamonds marks the diamond with a microscopic unique number, one eighth of the width of a human hair. This number corresponds to a certificate, which lays out its results, providing confidence that it is of the quality and standard described.

Many of our clients sell their diamonds on to jewellers, and some craft their own diamond designs to sell into retail. 

For our own brands, De Beers Jewellers, Forevermark and Libert’aime by Forevermark, our diamonds are set into exquisite jewellery under the hands of the some of the world’s greatest artisans. 

The art of creating breath-taking pieces, which accentuate the natural beauty of each diamond, has been a skill that requires the imaginations and hands of the top artisans for centuries, although some do now have a little help from technology to aid the design.

Jewellery Sales

Our diamonds reach the penultimate stage of their journey when they arrive at our retail stores or digital platforms around the world.

Here they are united with whom they were destined for. Because, as our experts say: one doesn’t choose a diamond: the diamond chooses you.

Heirloom

Many are unaware of the incredibly journey that each diamond has taken before it reaches them.

Yet, on reaching their hands, it takes on a new meaning. Whether gifted as a special present, or purchased to mark an important moment, the diamond often becomes symbolic of something much greater, incorporating that emotional significance into its story.

Indestructible and timeless, beautiful and unique, rare and of enduring value, each diamond has the potential to bring joy and meaning to families for generations.

Our three natural diamond jewellery brands are united by a single mission - to create spectacular jewels with a commitment to quality and craftsmanship.

After starting a journey that began billions of years before, a diamond becomes exactly what it was always meant to be - a beautiful and eternal symbol of love and passion.

Through our three natural diamond jewellery brands, De Beers Jewellers, Forevermark, and Libert'aime by Forevermark, we help people around the world to find their perfect diamond, and share the emotions that words can rarely express.

De Beers Jewellers

Founded in London, De Beers Jewellers is the destination of choice for diamond jewellery. By sharing its expertise as the Home of Diamonds since 1888, it helps clients on their journey of diamond discovery, providing transparency and guidance along the way to find the diamond that is unique to them.

Forevermark

Selected to create exquisite designs that meet our high standards - our promise of beauty, rarity and responsible sourcing.

Libert'aime by Forevermark

Libert'aime by Forevermark celebrates the spirit of a new generation: strong, unique, authentic and ready to take on the world.