A

Alluvial mining (Alluvial): Surface mining of stream/river bed deposits for minerals.

Artisanal mining (Artisanal): Small-scale, non-mechanized mining by individuals or small groups using simple hand tools.

Attributable share: When two (or more) companies own a mine, the attributable share is the percentage of production allotted to each.

Assortment: A collection of rough diamonds of various kinds, classified for sale.

B

Baguette cut (Baguette): Fancy cut. Rectangular in shape, with stepped faceting.

Bankability: Perceived financial health of a company in the eyes of financial institutions.

Beneficiation: Promotion of in-country wealth creation and skills development by supporting diamond-related activities in producer countries.

Best practice principles: Ethical, social, and environmental guidelines for responsible diamond business.

Blood diamonds (Conflict diamonds): Rough diamonds used to fund rebel activities against legitimate governments or produced under poor labor conditions.

Boart: Very low-quality diamond, usually used for industrial purposes.

Bourse: A trading floor where diamond dealers transact business.

Breakage: Rough diamonds breaking during processing.

Bricks and mortar: A physical retail store.

Brilliance: The intensity of reflections and fire coming from a diamond.

Brilliant cut (Brilliant): The most popular cut for a round stone, with 57 facets.

Bruting: Shaping the girdle by rotating one diamond against another.

C

4Cs: The four main characteristics defining diamond quality: carat, color, cut, and clarity.

CAGR: Compound Annual Growth Rate, measuring year-on-year percentage growth.

Carat: A unit of weight for diamonds and gemstones (0.20 grams).

Carat production: The amount of rough diamond carats extracted during mining.

Care and maintenance: A steady state where mining operations are suspended but can resume later.

Certificate: A grading report issued by a gemological authority detailing a polished diamond’s characteristics.

Certified diamond: A diamond graded by an independent gemological laboratory.

Chain of custody: Documentation tracing a diamond’s ownership history to verify authenticity.

Clarity: Standard characteristic measuring diamond imperfections.

Cleaving: Splitting a rough diamond along natural cleavage planes.

Clicks and mortar: A business model combining online and offline sales.

Colorless diamond: A clear or white diamond.

Comps: A company’s comparison of revenue and expenses over different periods.

Conflict diamonds: Rough diamonds used to fund rebel activities against legitimate governments or produced under poor labor conditions

Crown: The upper part of a polished diamond.

Culet: The facet at the bottom of a polished diamond’s pavilion.

Cut: The proportions and finish of a polished diamond.

Cutting and polishing: The process of preparing a rough diamond for use in jewelry.

CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition): A process to create synthetic diamonds.

D

D-color, D-grade: The highest color grade for a diamond.

D-flawless: The highest combination of color and clarity grading.

Demand: Consumer and manufacturer demand for diamonds.

Diamantaire: A diamond trader.

Diamond: A naturally formed gemstone created over millions of years.

Diamond deposit (Deposit): A concentration of diamond-bearing rock.

Diamondiferous: Containing or yielding diamonds.

Diamond jewelry: Jewelry featuring diamonds.

Diamond Office: An Antwerp-based authority overseeing diamond imports and exports.

Diamond pipeline: The industry value chain from mining to retail.

Diamond recycling: The resale or trade-up of diamonds or jewelry.

Direct impact: The immediate economic impact of diamond mining.

Downstream: The retail end of the diamond industry.

E

EBIT: Earnings Before Interest and Tax, an indicator of profitability.

Excellent: A high standard of cut quality in a diamond.

Exploration: Activities undertaken to locate diamond deposits.

Extraction: The mining of diamonds.

Eye-clean: A diamond with no visible inclusions to the naked eye.

F

Facet: A flat plane on a diamond.

Fancy color (Fancies): Unusual colors such as pink, green, or blue.

Fancy shape: Any non-round diamond shape.

Feasibility study: A technical and economic evaluation of a diamond mining project.

Fine jewelry: Jewelry made with precious materials.

Fire: Flashes of spectral colors from a diamond.

Flaw: Internal or external characteristics of a diamond.

Flawless: A diamond with no inclusions or blemishes under 10x magnification.

Fluorescence: A diamond’s reaction to ultraviolet light.

G

GIA: Gemological Institute of America, a leading diamond grading authority.

Girdle: The outer edge of a diamond.

Grading: Assessing the characteristics of a diamond.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): A measure of a country’s economic output.

H

Heart-shaped: A fancy-cut diamond resembling a heart.

HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature): A process to create synthetic diamonds.

I

Inclusions: Internal imperfections in a diamond.

Industrial diamonds: Diamonds used in industrial applications.

Investment diamond: A high-quality diamond bought for potential appreciation.

K

Kimberley Process (KP): A certification scheme preventing conflict diamonds from entering the market.

Kimberlite: A volcanic rock that sometimes contains diamonds.

L

Lab-grown diamond: A synthetic diamond with the same structure as a natural one.

Loupe: A 10x magnifying tool for examining diamonds.

M

Major miner: One of the largest diamond mining companies.

Melée: Small polished diamonds used in jewelry.

Midstream:The diamond value chain segment involves cutting, polishing, and wholesaling.

N

Nameplate (production, capacity): Intended full capacity production of a mining facility.

Near gem quality: A quality level between gem quality and industrial diamonds.

NGO: Non-governmental organization, non-profit group. In the diamond industry, it is seen as defending the interests of the local population and international oversight. 

O

Open-pit mining: Surface mining technique.

Oval cut: A type of fancy diamond cut.

P

Parcel: A batch of diamonds sold together.

Parcel paper: A folded piece of paper used to hold diamonds.

Pear cut: A fancy diamond cut.

Polished diamond: A cut and finished diamond ready for jewelry.

R

Rough diamond: A mined but uncut diamond.

Run-of-mine: The full assortment of diamonds produced by a mine.

S

Sight: A sales event by De Beers for contracted customers.

Sightholder: A De Beers-approved buyer.

T

Table: The largest facet of a polished diamond.

Triple X: A diamond graded excellent in polish, symmetry, and cut.

Y

Yield: The percentage of a rough diamond’s weight that becomes a polished gem.