Working vision

The traditional diamond cutting and trading centres are based in Antwerp, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, New York. However, the trend in the diamond producing countries is to increase the supply of diamonds to local gem cutters to help domestic jewelery sectors and create jobs.
In 2000, Namibia passed a new legislation giving government the leverage to force diamond producers to make raw stones available to manufacturers operating in the country. South Africa and Botswana are now also moving in this direction in order to stimulate growth in the local diamond industry.
Pressure from African governments has been influencing this new trend “to bring value addition to those countries in Africa where the diamonds are mined”, as the Namibia-based Institute for Public Policy Research stated in their recent report ‘Managing Diamond Dependency’.

Although South Africa is the fourth largest producer of diamonds after Botswana, Russia and Canada, it has a relatively small cutting and polishing industry. However, new laws intend to enforce a change.

Mining companies in South Africa must in future offer all diamonds intended for export to the government’s Diamond Exchange and Export Centre (DEEC), and sell a percentage of uncut stones to the new State Diamond Trader (SDT).

With this illustration in mind, Diamscan SA (Pty) Ltd, being from prominent diamond cutting and polishing background, situated in the centre of the diamond industry in Antwerp, Belgium, is in the process of being included in this evolution of the diamond industry.

Diamscan SA (Pty) Ltd intends to bring the manufacturing of diamonds in South Africa to the next level. The intention is not only to produce the “Good” cut that most factories manufacture, but to bring a higher level of product into the market while also producing “Excellent” and “Hearts and Arrows” cuts. Diamscan SA (Pty) Ltd will not carry diamonds with cut grades lower than Very Good, which are generally either too shallow or too deep to present an acceptable amount of brilliance.

The Diamscan vision goes further than achieving excellence within the diamond market. Our commitment is also to our people and the societies of the countries we work in. Diamscan seeks to contribute to the global economic and social development of the countries in which we have established offices.
Through our Corporate Social Responsibility activity we aim to improve the economic situation of deprived communities, living conditions of children and other vulnerable groups and collaborate with local NGOs to build necessary skills in the young population to facilitate access to labour market.

Working in the community

In Diamscan we believe in engaging with the communities we work in.

Our approach is that stronger communities will trigger further economic and social development. By supporting and improving the situation of the most disadvantaged groups in society we contribute to the general development of the countries in which we work.

In order to achieve this, Diamscan works together with local NGOs, giving support for established projects and enabling them to pursuit new ones. We also engage directly with communities from the most disadvantaged areas of Gauteng. Diamscan strategy is to identify specific problems, analyze the causes and work together with local community groups, empowering them to look for the most beneficial and sustainable solutions.

Sectors of Activity

Diamscan social activity is currently concentrated in South Africa, most specifically around the Gauteng area, where our offices are located.
Main sectors of interest for Diamscan are:

  • Economic development
  • Job creation
  • Skills development

The beneficiaries of Diamscan social activities are mainly young unemployed, disadvantaged community groups from informal settlements and local NGOs working in our areas of interest.