Visual explainer tracing diamonds from kimberlite pipes deep underground through mining, acid cleaning, Surat polishing, 4C grading, and Rapaport-priced trading to retail.
Key Takeaways
Only 1 in 200 kimberlite pipes contain gem-quality diamonds; magnetite signatures and LiDAR help locate buried pipes before any digging.
Rough ore is boiled in sulfuric acid to dissolve impurities; diamonds survive intact due to hardness differential with surrounding kimberlite.
~91% of the world’s diamonds are polished in Surat across ~5,000 factories; each stone is laser-inscribed with a unique microscopic ID on its girdle.
Most mined diamonds never become jewelry; industrial-grade stones go to cutting tools, drill bits, and grinding equipment.
Polished diamonds move from Surat to Mumbai via the Angadia informal courier network, then to trading hubs in Antwerp and Dubai priced against the Rapaport Price List.
