At 65.5 USD per carat, Antwerp confirms its position as the world’s most competitive trading centre for rough diamonds
Antwerp/Kinshasa, 22 June 2026 – The first-ever international sale of fully traceable, artisanal diamonds from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has delivered prices in line with expectations. The goods were sold through a diamond tender at the Antwerp-based auction house Bonas-Couzyn, achieving an average price of 65.5 USD per carat. This places the result slightly above the diamonds’ estimated market value. The sale is part of the Belgian-Congolese OrigemA project, and the proceeds go entirely to the Congolese COMIDIANZ cooperative that mined the diamonds. The results were announced in the presence of Sylvain Mwepu Kidenga, representing the Congolese Centre d’Expertise d’Evaluation et de Certification (CEEC).
Earlier this week, a parcel of 103.77 carats of fully traceable, artisanal diamonds from Congo was sold for the first time ever in Antwerp. The sale is part of the Belgian-Congolese OrigemA project, an initiative of AWDC that provides artisanal mining cooperatives with access to the international market. In doing so, the project breaks with the traditional sales system in the DRC, where miners depend on a limited number of local buyers and often receive below-market prices for their diamonds. The proceeds are fully reinvested in the COMIDIANZ cooperative and its community of more than 20,000 people. These funds are used to further develop the diamond mine, as well as for agriculture, healthcare, and access to education.
The diamonds achieved an average price of 65.5 USD per carat, slightly above their estimated market value.
“The prices achieved in this sale once again confirm Antwerp’s unique position as a global trading hub for rough diamonds,” says Karen Rentmeesters, CEO of AWDC. “The presence of a large pool of international buyers creates maximum competition, resulting in the best possible market price for the goods.”
Rentmeesters sees the sale as an important signal for the international diamond sector. “These results demonstrate that direct access to the international market can make a meaningful difference for artisanal producers. We hope this success will accelerate the further rollout of the OrigemA project, so that diamonds from other participating cooperatives can also be brought to market via Antwerp in the near future. In this way, even more value can flow back to the local communities in the DRC where these diamonds originate.”
