HRD Antwerp has opened its renovated and expanded laboratory in Mumbai, allowing the facility to grade up to 2,000 diamonds per day.

The inauguration of the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) marks an important step in the company’s growth and presence in India, HRD Antwerp said last week. The Indian market is one of the world’s leading hubs for trading and cutting natural diamonds. The expansion will also increase HRD Antwerp’s research capacity in Mumbai by 30%.

As part of the opening ceremony, Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever toured the office, where HRD Antwerp’s Indian experts demonstrated the diamond-grading process. The expansion will facilitate a 30% increase in the number of stones the lab can grade as well as the recruitment of 40 new full-time employees.

The Indian branch currently generates 59% of HRD Antwerp’s total group revenue and is forecast to grow 15% this year, compared with projected growth of 13% for the group overall. Jewelry grading is a key driver, accounting for as much as 47% of the company’s total revenue increase.

“As the authority in grading reports for natural diamonds and diamond jewelry, and in research into natural diamonds, we are already firmly established in India today,” said HRD Antwerp CEO Paul De Wachter. “India remains the world’s most important center for diamond cutting. For a diamond laboratory such as HRD Antwerp, which provides cut natural diamonds with an independent and objective grading report, it is therefore essential to keep investing in this market.”

Image: Cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the new, renovated lab. (HRD Antwerp)

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