In a statement issued today, Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) stated that Antwerp does not have to be the sole “rough node” for the new G7 certification system designed to screen out Russian diamonds.
According to AWDC interim CEO Karen Rentmeesters, more nodes could be stationed in production countries such as Botswana. This would allow those nations to authenticate the origin of their own diamonds. (Botswana is also a sorting center for De Beers production, so a node there may be able to validate those commodities as well.)
AWDC now claims it has no problem allowing select producers to certify their own goods, but the final decision will be decided by governments, not business.
Rentmeesters expects that G7 member nations and the European Union would take a unified stance in September, when they plan to impose sanctions on diamonds weighing more than half a carat. The initial restrictions, which took effect in March, only apply to raw and polished diamonds weighing at least one carat.