Where your Diamond Engagement Ring Comes From

A diamond is considered a highly coveted precious stone, particularly rare high-grade diamonds. Diamonds are the hardest of all the precious stones, including sapphires and emeralds, and it is after the extensive polishing and cutting that a diamond engagement ring becomes very expensive. These precious gems are mined all around the globe, but there are only a few specific countries that contribute the majority of the world’s diamond supply.

Central and southern African countries have long been regarded as the world’s major suppliers of diamonds. However, the discovery of diamond reserves in other countries has proven that Africa is not the only continent to host diamond-producing countries. Furthermore, Africa is no longer home to the most diamond-producing country. Russia now contributes a stunning 22% of the world’s diamond supply. This revelation is of great surprise to many people, many of whom would not even guess Russia was the most likely origin of their diamond engagement ring.

The second and third places, in terms of amount of diamonds produced, go to Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo, respectively. Botswana’s mining industry provides 40% of the country’s revenue – with 50% of the country’s largest diamond mine owned by the government – and accounts for 20% of the global diamond supply. Conversely, the people of Congo are among the poorest in the world, despite their country’s contributing 19% of the world’s diamond production.

The next country, in terms of producing diamonds, is Australia, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, thanks to its export industry. Australia is internationally recognised as one of the few countries rich in natural resources, such as coal, iron ore, gold and diamonds, and is estimated to provide around 13% of diamonds in the world market. Unsurprisingly, South Africa is also a likely contestant when you wonder where your diamond engagement ring is from, as it is renowned for having large amounts of diamonds – the world’s largest diamond was found there – and, indeed, much of its revenue and economy is dependent on the production of diamonds.

Other countries in the top ten, in terms of contribution to the world’s supply of diamonds, include Angola, Namibia, Ghana, Brazil and Canada, which is a surprise to many because it was previously thought diamonds weren’t often found in temperate countries. It is extremely likely that your diamond engagement ring has originated from one of these countries, though if you’re concerned about the social issues relating to the mining of diamonds, it is the countries outside Africa that are noteworthy for spearheading the development of stricter government policies on their national diamond mining corporations.

Frederick Holm writes for the F&L Designer Guides, which hosts a thriving community of independent engagement ring designers in the UK. Inspired by their journey of discovery in search of distinctive, one-of-a-kind diamond engagement ring, F&L now celebrates the works of their favourite designers and helps promote the notion of "Go Bespoke" as a more imaginative and interesting alternative to the limitations of High Street shopping.