September in Antwerp doesn’t just mean “back to school”, it also means “back to the diamond market.” And this year, business is buzzing more than ever.
At the start of the month, tender house Bonas is making the news by hosting four diamond auctions simultaneously in Antwerp, with eight in total scheduled for September. Such a feat is rare, especially in a period when the global diamond trade is facing unprecedented challenges, with volumes and values under pressure.
The September rush in Antwerp can be explained by several factors. “Antwerp remains the preferred trading hub for many diamond producers to bring their rough diamonds to market. On the one hand, there is the critical mass of available goods and the buyers to match them. Together, this creates the most optimal bidding conditions, resulting in the best possible prices for the goods. On the other hand, Antwerp offers a stable and predictable business environment with reliable trading partners. This unique ecosystem simply does not exist anywhere else in the world. In addition, this period of the year represents the final opportunity to purchase rough diamonds that can still be cut, polished, and transformed into jewelry in time to reach stores for the end-of-year season—a traditionally crucial sales period for diamond jewelry, especially in the United States.
During a tender, buyers inspect lots of rough diamonds in heavily secured “viewing rooms.” Stones are weighed, studied under loupes, and even scanned with portable devices to assess their cutting potential. Every lot is re-weighed after viewings, ensuring nothing is left to chance. With 191 surveillance cameras, rigorous screenings of every participant, and constant monitoring, security is at the highest possible level.
Let’s talk numbers of the Bonas September tenders:
- 850.000 carats of rough diamonds on offer, valued at $90 million US dollars
- Divided into 900 separate lots
- 1.800 buyers from around the world expected in Antwerp (mainly from China, India, the US, and Belgium)
- Up to 13.000 bids anticipated during the four auctions
- 32 viewing rooms and 44 staff members involved in making it all possible
- Diamonds sourced from Botswana, Canada, Lesotho, Brazil, Tanzania, Namibia, and Angola
Even in a difficult market, Antwerp remains the beating heart of the global diamond trade. Its combination of scale, security, and skilled expertise ensures that miners, traders, and buyers alike continue to choose Antwerp as their trusted marketplace.
As the tender week kicks off, Antwerp once again demonstrates why it is and remains the world’s key hub for rough diamonds.
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