The Diamond Trading Company (DTC) has selected 72 Sightholders for the upcoming Supplier of Choice (SoC) contract period, which begins on 31 March 2012 and runs to 30 March 2015. As part of the provisional list, announced today, 66 applicants have qualified for supply in London, 10 in South Africa, 21 in Botswana, 13 in Namibia and 2 in respect of Canadian goods.

A DTC release confirmed that “adding value, which is at the core of the Supplier of Choice strategy” has been a key factor in the selection. According to Varda Shine, DTC CEO, “The Sightholders who have qualified for the 2012-2015 contract period have demonstrated their strong capabilities in this area.”

Philippe Mellier, CEO of De Beers Group, also said, “Competition for supply has been very intense, and the qualifying applicants represent a world-class set of diamantaires who are well placed to add value to the diamonds we sell.”

DTC also said that the list was finalized after a “rigorous and objective selection process”. This included a review of information provided in the Contract Proposal Questionnaire (CPQ), DTC’s forecast availability in each category of rough diamonds, and confirmation of adherence to the De Beers Best Practice Principles.

New sightholders whose applications have been accepted will now go through a process of audit before their contracts are finalized early next year. The audits may also cover returning sightholders at the discretion of the DTC. Unsuccessful applicants have also been informed that they could qualify for a SoC contract in future depending on the demand demonstrated for particular categories of goods at Diamdel auctions.

No formal list of Sightholders was released, but sources in the market have confirmed to Diamond World the following:

Selected as Sightholders

Ankit Gems

Hari Krishna Exports

Interjewel

Niru Diamonds, Israel

S.Vinodkumar

Shree Ramkrishna Exports

Digico, Antwerp.

Rosy Blue NV

Rosy Blue India Pvt Ltd.

Venus Jewel

Shrenuj & Company Limited

Shairu Gems

Kiran Gems Pvt. Ltd.

Eurostar Diamonds International

Dharmanandan Diamonds Pvt. Ltd.

Karp Impex

K.Girdharlal

Dilipkumar V. Lakhi

Sheetal Manufacturing

Gitanjali Gems Ltd

Gold Star Diamond Pvt. Ltd.

Ratilal Becheralal

Mohit Diamonds

Shairu Gems

Blue Star

Note: The list will be periodically updated as more names are confirmed.