Diamonds Today: The Evolution of Natural Diamonds

What the modern diamond industry looks like today may surprise you.
Discover the world of natural diamonds, today.

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The Earth gifted us with the beauty of natural diamonds in remote regions scattered across the globe—sprawling from the rural lands of Canada to the resource-rich Botswana all the way down to Australia, making modern diamond mining an industry with true world-wide influence. While the diamond industry is made up of independent businesses around the globe, we come together in our shared appreciation for the Earth, our employees, and the local communities who help us bring the beauty of natural diamonds to those who love them.

Today, leading diamond producers work together to maintain partnerships with the local governments and communities in which we operate, creating $16 billion in net positive socioeconomic and environmental benefits annually, and supporting the livelihood of 10 million people worldwide.

Those benefits are used to fund a variety of programs—from primary and secondary schools to sports and recreation initiatives to healthcare systems in places historically without. The industry prioritizes workplace safety and elevates our work force with advanced employment and education opportunities, as well as training, transferrable skills development and apprenticeship programs.

Another top priority for the industry behind diamond jewelry is, of course, our conservation of the planet. Not only does the modern diamond mining industry depend on the natural resources, but it is committed to reducing our impact on the Earth as much as possible. The many members that make up our core alliance are all actively working on programs and initiatives that will reduce our collective carbon footprint. These initiatives range from alternative energy and waste solutions such as wind farming, hydro power, and water recycling to closure plans that will return mined land to its original natural landscape to promote the growth of new life. The industry also protects 3 times more land than it currently uses and is advancing new initiatives every day.*

The natural diamond industry is one of many facets. But what brings us together as one is our love and appreciation of all that allows us to share the beauty of billion-year-old natural diamonds with the people of the world.


Read more about our Sustainability pledges here.​

Also get a behind-the-scenes look at the people, places and positive impact of the natural diamond industry here.​

*analysis conducted by Trucost, part of S&P Global, based on 2016/2017 data.