Okavango Diamond Company to Pilot GIA’s M2M to with Botswana origin diamonds
As part of a pilot initiative, a selection of ODC rough diamonds that have been evaluated by GIA for its M2M program will be offered at the ODC July 2018 Spot Auction
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GIA has announced Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) is participating in the Institute’s M2M program.
M2M is a digital platform that allows the GIA to scientifically match rough diamonds to the resulting polished gems with information from each step in the value chain that tells the complete story of a diamond’s journey.
The ODC is a rough diamond marketing company that is wholly owned by the Botswana Government. With access to 15% of Debswana’s run-of-mine production, ODC is an important supplier to the market with sales in excess of $500m (£380m) per annum
Having completed another pilot phase of the program, GIA has processed thousands of rough diamonds ranging from one carat up to more than 100 carats. As part of a pilot initiative, a selection of ODC rough diamonds that have been evaluated by GIA for its M2M program will be offered at the ODC July 2018 Spot Auction.
ODC managing director Marcus Ter Haar, said: “The M2M platform allows ODC, and our customers, to finally share with the consumer the story of the proud heritage and history of Botswana’s diamonds and the positive contributions they make to society. This is an important step in confirming diamond provenance, which we anticipate will have benefits for our customers, retailers and ultimately consumers.
“This pilot will allow those ODC customers who participate the advantage of confirming that the polished outcome of the M2M rough stones they purchase can be certified ultimately as true Botswana origin.
GIA said the M2M program allows the retailer and ultimately the consumer to trace the journey of a polished stone, adding to its story at each point along the value chain.
The M2M program allows for the individual characteristics of a polished stone, and its unique journey, to be shared with consumers using mobile application and smart card technology, together with traditional grading reports.
Tom Moses, GIA executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer, said: “We are very pleased to welcome ODC to M2M as part of this pilot. Dozens of retailers and several manufacturers are signed up, and we continue to engage the majority of diamond producers as part of the initiative.”
