Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC)

The Antwerp World Diamond Centre is a public-private partnership between the Belgian diamond industry and the Belgian federal government. Established to safeguard and promote Antwerp's dominant position in the global diamond market, the AWDC acts as the official representative body for the entire Belgian diamond sector. The organisation is currently led by CEO Karen Rentmeesters, who took the role in 2024 following the departure of longtime CEO Ari Epstein.

The organisation's headquarters are located in the heart of the Antwerp diamond district, just steps from Antwerp Central Station. It represents more than 1,600 diamond companies that collectively handle approximately 86% of the world's rough diamonds and over 50% of all polished diamonds traded globally.

These are not just numbers. They translate into an annual diamond trade worth approximately €48 billion — making the Antwerp diamond sector one of Belgium's most significant economic pillars.

• 1,600+ companies represented across the full supply chain
• €48 billion in annual diamond trade flowing through Antwerp
• 86% of global rough diamond trade passes through the district
• Four diamond bourses (regulated trading floors) under AWDC oversight
• 30,000+ jobs supported directly and indirectly by the diamond sector

Pro Tip: The AWDC's oversight is one of the key reasons Antwerp diamonds carry such a strong reputation for transparency and quality. When you buy from an Antwerp-based dealer like Diamantwerp, you benefit directly from this institutional framework — regulation, certification and dispute resolution that simply does not exist in unstructured diamond markets.

For more information, visit the official AWDC website. The AWDC is headquartered at Hoveniersstraat 22 in the heart of the district — just one block from Diamantwerp's own address on Pelikaanstraat 62.

To understand why the AWDC exists, you need to understand the scale and complexity of Antwerp's diamond industry — and how five centuries of informal trading were gradually transformed into one of the world's most regulated markets.

500 Years of Diamond Heritage

Antwerp has been a diamond trading centre since the 15th century — the oldest verified record of diamond trade in the city dates to 1447. For hundreds of years, the trade operated entirely on trust. Dealers met on street corners, in cafés, and at open markets. Deals were sealed with a handshake and the Yiddish phrase "mazzel un broche" — luck and blessing — a tradition that still echoes through the diamond district today.

As the trade grew in volume and value — particularly after the discovery of major diamond deposits in South Africa in the 1860s–1880s — it became clear that informal arrangements could no longer sustain a multi-billion dollar global industry. The system needed structure.

The Formalisation of Antwerp's Diamond Trade

Throughout the 20th century, Antwerp's diamond infrastructure was built piece by piece:

The AWDC's work spans five core areas that together form the backbone of Antwerp's diamond infrastructure — covering everything from customs control and ethical sourcing to security, business support and education.

1. The Diamond Office

Perhaps the most critical function. The Diamond Office is a specialised government agency operated under AWDC coordination, handling the import, export and transit of every rough and polished diamond entering or leaving Belgium. Every shipment is registered, physically inspected and verified against Kimberley Process certificates.

What makes this unique is the triple-control structure: the Diamond Office operates as a joint undertaking between the AWDC, Belgium's FPS Economy and FPS Finance (Customs). No rough diamond enters the Belgian market without documented proof of ethical origin — and tens of thousands of shipments are processed every year, making it one of the busiest and most rigorous diamond customs operations in the world.

2. Business Support for Diamond Companies

The AWDC provides the operational infrastructure that makes Antwerp the easiest place in the world to run a diamond business:

• Company registration and licensing in Belgium
• Navigating regulatory compliance — EU trade law, anti-money laundering, tax regulations
• Connecting international traders with Antwerp-based partners
• Market intelligence, industry data and legal guidance

This support infrastructure is one of the key reasons so many international diamond companies choose to base their European operations in Antwerp rather than London, Amsterdam or Tel Aviv.

3. International Trade Promotion

The AWDC actively promotes Antwerp's diamond sector worldwide through:

• Trade missions to diamond-producing countries — Botswana, Russia, Canada, Australia
• Organisation of and participation in major international trade fairs
• Networking events connecting rough suppliers with cutters, polishers and retailers
• The flagship marketing campaign "Diamonds & Antwerp — It's in our DnA"

4. Security Infrastructure

Billions of euros in diamonds pass through the district every single day. The AWDC coordinates comprehensive security measures across the entire district — including CCTV networks, access controls, private security patrols and secure transport services. The Antwerp diamond district is one of the most closely monitored areas in Belgium, a fact that directly protects every buyer and seller operating within it.

5. Education and Research

The AWDC invests in the future of the trade through partnerships with institutions like WTOCD (the Scientific and Technical Research Centre for Diamonds) and training programmes for the next generation of diamond professionals. This includes advanced diamond grading courses, cutting technology research and innovation in diamond identification and authentication.

What this means for you: The AWDC's educational initiatives are one reason why Antwerp-based diamond experts tend to be exceptionally well-trained. At Diamantwerp, our team includes GIA-graduated gemologists with decades of hands-on experience in the Antwerp trade — expertise that directly benefits every customer we work with.

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is the international framework that prevents conflict diamonds — also known as "blood diamonds" — from entering the legitimate diamond supply chain. It was established in 2003 following civil conflicts in Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo that were partly funded by illegal diamond sales.

The AWDC plays a central role in this system. Through the Diamond Office, every shipment of rough diamonds entering or leaving Belgium is verified against a Kimberley Process certificate. This certificate confirms:

• The country of origin of the rough diamonds
• That the diamonds were mined and exported legally
• That the exporting country is a Kimberley Process participant
• That the shipment has not been tampered with during transit

Belgium was one of the founding participants of the Kimberley Process, and Antwerp's Diamond Office is widely considered the gold standard for KPCS implementation worldwide. For diamond buyers, this matters enormously. When you purchase a diamond that has been traded through Antwerp, you can be confident it has passed through one of the world's most regulated and transparent trading environments.

Want to understand more about how diamond quality is independently verified? Read our complete guide to diamond certification: GIA, HRD and IGI explained.

Pro Tip: Always ask your diamond dealer whether the stone has been traded through a Kimberley Process-compliant channel. All diamonds at Diamantwerp are fully compliant — certified by GIA, HRD Antwerp or IGI, and traded through the AWDC-regulated Antwerp market.

Under the AWDC's umbrella, Antwerp is the only diamond city in the world with four official diamond bourses — regulated trading floors where diamonds are bought, sold and arbitrated between licensed professionals. Each bourse has its own history and specialisation, but all four operate under shared governance rules and a unified membership structure known as the "Fusion Four" agreement.

• Beurs voor Diamanthandel (est. 1904) — the largest and most internationally recognised bourse, located on Pelikaanstraat — the same street as Diamantwerp
• Diamantclub van Antwerpen (est. 1893) — the world's first official diamond exchange, founded more than 130 years ago
• Vrije Diamanthandel (est. 1911) — historically focused on manufacturers and polishers from the Kempen region
• Antwerpsche Diamantkring (est. 1929) — the world's only exchange dedicated exclusively to rough diamond trading

Membership of any one bourse grants access to all four — and requires strict vetting. All trades conducted on the floors are governed by established rules and binding dispute resolution procedures. This creates a level of trust, accountability and transparency that is unique to Antwerp and simply does not exist in unregulated diamond markets.

The bourses are also where international diamond dealers come to source stones. Walk through the Hoveniersstraat or Pelikaanstraat on any working day and you'll see dealers from India, Israel, the United States, Japan and dozens of other countries — all drawn by Antwerp's unmatched concentration of supply and expertise.

HRD Antwerp (Hoge Raad voor Diamant) is one of the world's three most respected diamond grading laboratories, alongside GIA and IGI. What many buyers don't know is that HRD Antwerp was originally established by the AWDC as the diamond industry's own grading institution — built from within the Antwerp ecosystem to serve the needs of the trade.

Today, HRD Antwerp operates as an independent laboratory but maintains a close relationship with the AWDC framework. It is particularly respected for its expertise in grading diamond cut quality and for its advanced methods of detecting synthetic and treated diamonds — two areas of growing importance in the modern market.

An HRD Antwerp certificate is widely accepted across Europe and increasingly recognised worldwide. Together with GIA and IGI certificates, it provides buyers with an independent, scientifically rigorous assessment of a diamond's 4 C's: cut, colour, clarity and carat weight — giving you the confidence to buy without seeing the stone in person.

Not sure which certificate to trust? Our guide to GIA vs HRD vs IGI certification breaks down the key differences. The short answer: all three are excellent. The best certificate is the one from a lab your market recognises — and all three operate from within the Antwerp diamond district.

You don't need to interact with the AWDC directly to benefit from its work. Its impact is built into every Antwerp diamond transaction — from the moment a rough stone enters Belgium to the moment a certified diamond leaves for its buyer.

Ethical confidence. The Kimberley Process enforcement and Diamond Office triple-control checks mean your diamond has been ethically sourced and legally traded through one of the world's most rigorous supply chain verification systems. These principles are at the heart of what makes Antwerp the world's most trusted hub for ethical diamonds.

Price advantage. Because the AWDC attracts such a high concentration of dealers and supply, competition in Antwerp is intense. This keeps prices significantly below retail — typically 30–75% less than what you'd pay in a jewellery store for an equivalent certified loose diamond.

Certification quality. The presence of GIA, HRD Antwerp and IGI within the district means diamonds can be graded and certified on the spot — with the highest standards of accuracy and independence available anywhere in the world.

Expertise depth. Over 500 years of accumulated knowledge, passed down through generations of diamond cutters, traders and gemologists. When you buy from an experienced Antwerp dealer, you benefit from deep expertise in cut, colour, clarity and carat evaluation that simply cannot be replicated outside this district.

Dispute resolution. Trades conducted through the bourses are governed by established rules and formal arbitration procedures. If a dispute arises, there are binding resolution mechanisms — a level of buyer protection that informal and online-only diamond markets cannot offer.

Diamantwerp has been part of the Antwerp diamond district since 1987. Based at Pelikaanstraat 62 — on the same street as the historic Beurs voor Diamanthandel — we operate within the regulatory framework that the AWDC maintains, and benefit directly from the infrastructure, trust and expertise it has built over decades.

Every diamond in our collection is:

• Certified by GIA, HRD Antwerp or IGI — the world's three leading independent grading laboratories
• 100% ethically sourced — fully compliant with Kimberley Process standards
• Traded through the Antwerp market — benefiting from the AWDC's regulatory infrastructure and oversight
• Priced up to 75% below traditional retail — because we sell directly from the source, without jewellery store markups

Whether you're looking for a classic round brilliant, an elegant oval, a modern princess cut, a sophisticated emerald cut or any other diamond shape, our team of certified gemologists is here to guide you — with personal advice, full transparency and no obligation.

Ready to explore? Browse our certified diamond collection or contact our team for personalised guidance. Every purchase comes with full certification documentation, Kimberley Process compliance and our quality guarantee — direct from the heart of the Antwerp diamond district.