History was made in Antwerp in June 2026. For the very first time, a parcel of fully traceable, artisanally mined diamonds from the Democratic Republic of Congo was sold on the international market, achieving an average price of 65.5 USD per carat, slightly above estimated market value. The 103.77-carat parcel was sold through a tender at Bonas-Couzyn, running from June 15 to 22. To mark the milestone, Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, visited the Antwerp Diamond District alongside Belgian and Congolese media on Thursday, June 18th. The results were announced on Monday, June 22nd, in the presence of Sylvain Mwepu Kidenga, representing the Congolese Centre d'Expertise d'Evaluation et de Certification (CEEC).
The origin of OrigemA
The sale is part of OrigemA, a Belgian-Congolese initiative led by AWDC in partnership with RESOLVE, CEEC, SAEMAPE, Everledger, and with the support of the Belgian FPS Foreign Affairs. The project brings together six artisanal mining cooperatives in the DRC with one clear ambition: to create a transparent, traceable, and commercially viable route from mine to market. The diamonds in this first tender originate from the Kamana Ndeke mine in the Kasaï region, tracked from origin to Antwerp through a traceability system built especially for artisanal mining environments.
OrigemA breaks with the traditional sales model in the DRC, where miners have long depended on a limited number of local buyers and regularly been paid below-market prices. By providing direct access to Antwerp's international buyer pool, the project generates maximum competition and maximum value. The full proceeds of this sale go entirely to the COMIDIANZ cooperative and its community of more than 20.000 people, funding the further development of the mine as well as local agriculture, healthcare, education and infrastructure. More broadly, the project aims to improve the livelihoods of the over three million people who depend directly or indirectly on artisanal diamond mining in the region.
The first international OrigemA-tender
The strong result confirms Antwerp's position as the world's most competitive trading hub for rough diamonds, and sends a clear signal to the international sector. Direct access to the international market makes a meaningful difference for artisanal producers. With the first sale now closed, we hope to accelerate the rollout of OrigemA, bringing diamonds from other participating cooperatives to market via Antwerp in the near future, and ensuring even more value flows back to the communities in the DRC where these diamonds originate.
Read more about OrigemA: www.awdc.be/origema
