Trading district
Surat diamond markets
Surat, India
Where most of the world's diamonds are cut and polished. Trading has long taken place in the Mahidharpura and Varachha bazaars; the Surat Diamond Bourse at Khajod, opened in December 2023 with more than 4,000 offices, was built to bring the trade together.
Surat, in Gujarat, is where most of the world's diamonds are cut and polished. From small workshops in the 1960s and 1970s it grew into an industry employing hundreds of thousands of polishers, and it now handles natural and laboratory-grown diamonds side by side.
What you find
Manufacturing above all: planning, sawing, bruting and polishing, from small melee to large stones, in factories ranging from family workshops to automated plants. Rough and polished goods are traded locally, and Surat is a centre of laboratory-grown diamond production.
How trading works
Day-to-day trading has long taken place in the Mahidharpura and Varachha diamond bazaars, where brokers and dealers meet in the street and in office buildings. The Surat Diamond Bourse at Khajod, one of the world's largest office buildings, opened in December 2023 to bring traders, banks and customs together under one roof; how quickly the trade moves there has been a subject of debate in the industry.
Visiting and buying safely
- The diamond markets are trade-only; visits are arranged through a business contact.
- Natural and laboratory-grown diamonds look alike: insist on disclosure and a grading report, and screening for melee.
- India's Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) is the trade body for exporters and a useful first contact.
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